MORE details have been published of a plan to excavate more than 1.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel from a quarry near Upton.

The plans, submitted to Worcestershire County Council by M C Cullimore (Gravels) seek permission to dig up the sand and gravel from land at Bow Farm in Ripple.

The work is due to get underway in January 2021 and will last until 2028.

According to the application, the land will be restored to wetlands, nature conservation and agriculture once work is finished.

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The application site comprises approximately 65 hectares of land at Bow Farm in Bow Lane.

The site straddles the administrative boundaries of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

Approximately 55 hectares of land lies within Worcestershire with the remaining 10 located within Gloucestershire.

Approximately 45hectares of the land is proposed for mineral extraction, worked in a number of phases and progressively restored.

All of the land is owned by the applicant and is bound to the north by the M50 and to the east by Bow Lane.

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Land to the west of the site has previously been worked for sand and gravel (Ripple Quarry) and has been restored, principally, to a large body of water.

In 2010, mineral exploration was undertaken at the site. In the areas proposed in the plan, the investigation identified sand and gravel with an estimated yield of more than 2 million tonnes.

Residents of nearby Ripple have voiced their opposition to the plans, saying the noise and traffic caused by work vehicles, as well as the dust created by the work, will affect their quality of life.

Ripple Parish Council also recommended refusal of the plans.

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Its submission to the plan says: "RPC recognise the importance of maintaining mineral supplies but this should be from sites where proposals do so in the most environmentally and sympathetic manner and which, in this case scenario, both mitigate and decrease the risk of flooding.

"Proposals should not adversely affect the Health and Welfare of local residents, business, and recreational facilities, and fully comply with Planning Statements."

The council also requested that the site only operates from 7am until 6pm from Monday to Friday with no weekend or bank holiday work, should the plans be approved.

The plans can be viewed in full via the County Council's planning site using the reference 19/000048/CM