The chairman of a Beaconsfield resident’s society said he is ‘extremely concerned’ about the effects that a gravel extraction and mixing plant in green belt land in a nearby village would have on the town if approved.

Harlow based company RJD Ltd has submitted an application to Bucks County Council, proposing to use Slade Farm in Hedgerley to dig out 1.25 million tonnes of sand gravel over 12 years.  

The material dug out will be processed on the site, which is currently a field, with some material being used in the on-site concrete plant.

There is expected to be around 120 HGV truck movements to and from the site along Hedgerley Lane towards Beaconsfield every day.

Sandy Saunders, chair of the Beaconsfield Old Town Residents Society (BOTRA), said the potential HGV traffic, heading towards the site via the A355 and M40, could be a ‘major headache’ for residents and commuters if approved.

Worried that the town is already facing three ‘major traffic flow issues’ with the A355 relief road plan, the Wilton Park housing development and HS2 construction traffic, he said: “I am extremely concerned about this plan for a gravel pit.

Bucks Free Press:

Sandy Saunders, chairman of BOTRA. Picture by ARM Images.

“The relief road will be built within the town in the next few years and it is going to be an extensive project. HS2 traffic through the town will be enormous. Wilton Park is a very large development for the town to cope with and now this gravel pit plan.

“They will all result in very heavy use of our road systems with HGVs. I am very much afraid that we will have irreversible issues to face. Our main roads will be gridlocked.

“Unless we have some other way of alleviating the problem it is going to be a nightmare for residents, commuters and visitors. It will affect commuters and the school run.”

Mr Saunders believes that if approval is given for the gravel pit, the projects should be phased so they do not overlap and cause the roads to be gridlocked by lorries.

He said: “If approval is given, a number of conditions need to be put on developers and companies to make sure there is smooth traffic flow and that any road damage is repaired and kept to a minimum.

“Beaconsfield residents need to be made very aware of the implications of these four projects before any permission is given.

“It is a major headache, if not a migraine, for all residents and visitors who use our roads.”

Residents in Hedgerley are also mounting a campaign against the application and have set up the Hedgerley Village Fighting Fund.

David Vincent, South Bucks district councillor and Hedgerley resident fears the gravel pit will devastate the village but has concerns about traffic.

He said: “Hedgerley village has won best kept village on many occasions, but now this going to be on our doorstep.

“One of the major concerns we have is the traffic heading towards Beaconsfield. At busy times it is already heavily congested with traffic coming from the motorway and it will just keep on getting more congested.

“Hedgerley Lane is a country lane, it is not suitable for heavy vehicles. We don’t want to sound like nimby’s but it is a very significant proposal and we have serious reservations about it.”

RJD Ltd insist that it is necessary to use the site for gravel extraction, even though it is not an allocated mineral site in Bucks.

Of ten current sites for mineral extraction shown in the Replacement Mineral and Waste Local Plan (RMWLP) for Bucks, only four of them are still active.

They have also promised the site will be returned to agricultural use after the extraction, with new areas of woodland, grassland, ponds and an orchard created.

Visit http://publicaccess.buckscc.gov.uk/online-applications/ to view the application.