The WOLDINGHAM ACTION GROUP
(WAG)

The Case We Are Arguing Against

You are probably aware of the imminent planning application, which if successful would result in a new road being built from Oxted Quarry, Chalkpit Lane, onto The Ridge. This road would allow lorries, dumping builders' waste, to exit the quarry. These lorries would then leave the Ridge via Woldingham Village, Limpsfield, Westerham or Warlingham, all unsuitable routes for 30-ton lorries.

Waste has been dumped at the quarry for some time without incident and it was only when the railway bridge in Chalkpit Lane was closed for repair, blocking the customary access to the A25, that problems occurred. In our opinion the new road is unnecessary. The quarry will be operational until the year 2042 attracting as many as 200 lorries a day from the London area through the villages listed above.

Our initial aim is to, in conjunction with other local organisations, oppose the application on the grounds that the road is unnecessary. The existing infrastructure was judged adequate at the time planning conditions and the permit for the quarry were issued, nothing has changed. The routes from the Ridge that would be taken by the lorries all pass through small villages and pass schools.

The escarpment of the North Downs is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a Site of Significant Scientific Interest (SSSI). The Quarry is sandwiched between two National Trust Areas, is close to the Titsey Estate and View Point. All would be seriously impacted by industrialisation of the North Downs.

If you look at the map of the quarry you will see that the area proposed for the road, within the quarry, is designated as a conservation area. Failure to control development of the quarry now may result in future expansion which could include a change in the volume and type of waste that may be dumped or mechanisation to enable crushing of demolition spoil to produce aggregate.

Thank you for your support and please check this site regularly for updates.