Photo credit - Talia Woodin

On Sunday, 150 people entered Westdown Quarry near Frome in Somerset and walked the site to protest it proposed reopening and expansion. The weather was crisp, cold and sunny and people's spirits where lively. For many, this was the first time they has walked around the site and the sheer scale of it was surprising. Enormous sheer cliff faces arc around great empty expanses where the stone was previously mined from.

Photo credit - Talia Woodin

The landscape is reminiscent of natural canyons. Since the mines closed nature has crept back in and a young wood speckles the craggy rock faces. Young silver birches are everywhere reaching skywards, sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and providing habitat to animals. What was a great source of noise and pollution is now a serene, open and beautiful nature reserve where locals walk, cycle and get away with it all.

Not far away several active mines representing Europe's largest open mining complex remind people what this site used to be like. Sirens, explosions and endless heavy vehicle movements are a daily reality. Given the scale of mining activity already happening in the area the feelings against a new mega mine are very strong. People were out in force - numbers totally exceeding the expectations of the planners.

Photo credit - Daisy Brasington

Richard Mawer from Westdown Objectors Group said -

'This application will take out around 200 acres of Westdown Farm land, dump the overburden into the disused and regenerating Asham Quarry, to quarry around 160,000,000 tonnes of stone over many decades causing a huge increase in lorry traffic. All this right next to the ancient and species rich Asham Wood. This will produce an estimated 40 jobs but in the process will cause significant harm to some of the Mendip's most nature-rich sites and destroy any chance of Mendip, Somerset and the UK keeping to our net zero-carbon targets to stop further climate breakdown."

Photo credit - Talia Woodin

Cllr Mikey Gay, leader of the Green group on Mendip DC added -

'The Mendip quarries currently supply stone to the largest building projects in the UK such as Hinkley Point, HS2, and the road building programme, however Hanson cannot show why this extra stone is needed particularly from Westdown Quarry at this point. We suspect they are cynically applying before Somerset Council and the UK government take overdue action to update their minerals policy in light of their commitments to net zero by 2030 and 2050 respectively. The UK won’t get to net zero if applications like Westdown are approved.'

This move to open and expand the quarry is also being rushed through ahead of the introduction of the Environment Bill. Which, once on place, will require far great efforts and investments to retain and replace lost habitats.

Photo credit - Talia Woodin

Local resident Indra Donfrancesco said -

'We are thrilled that with just one week's notice more than 150 local residents turned up for a walk and picnic, to get to know each other and make plans to Stop Westdown Mega Quarry. We look forward to seeing people in the next few months. Donations for the new protection Camp are much appreciated. We must win this campaign to protect our local environment and to have any chance of stopping global climate collapse. Think global, act local!'

The planning application will come to Somerset Regulation planning committee in the next few months. Please join the 1000's of petition signers and 100's of objectors in opposing this super quarry which endangers our collective future. For more information on future walks and picnics visit the FB page 'Stop Westdown Mega Quarry' and objections to planning@somerset.gov.uk re SCC/3795/2021, 3836, 3837 and 3838.

Photo credit - Talia Woodin

Photo credit - Daisy Brasington