A DECISION on the planning application to extend the size of Yennadon Quarry by roughly a third has been deferred for a second time.

After first being hit by delays in December, the application was due to be examined and decided upon by Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) members at their meeting on Friday, February 5.

But a spokesperson for DNPA has now said the plan may not be voted on until May.

A DNPA spokesperson said: ‘The decision has been delayed because there is still information coming in. There is a lot to consider with this application so it definitely will not be looked at in this month’s meeting of the park’s development management committee as they would need to organise the paper work.

‘They want to make sure the committee are provided with valid information and receive a correct presentation. It probably will not be in the agenda for March or April, it will more than likely will be May.’

If passed, the application would see the existing stone quarry extended to the north, increasing its size by roughly a third.

A report to the committee from planning officers recommended that the application be refused.

The report stated: ‘The proposed extension would perpetuate the quarry and the related impacts in the long term, until 2025. The development is major and there is no overriding need for the development, or other exceptional circumstance demonstrated which would justify permitting that development in the National Park.

‘Acceptable alternative sources of stone exist to meet the demand currently met by the quarry. The alternative option for the quarry itself would be its restoration on exhaustion of the permitted reserves, thus reducing the current landscape impact, and enhancing the landscape.

‘The proposed development would have an unacceptable impact on the special qualities of the National Park, particularly in terms of amenity use, landscape and tranquility.’

However in a recent document, quarry owners introduced new arguments to ‘respond to a number of inaccuracies and misleading statements within the case officer’s report for the committee and the proposed reasons for refusal.’

The report stated: ‘Fundamentally, refusal will not result in closure before 2025 and will have no bearing on perpetrating the continued operation of the Quarry. Refusal will result in a deeper hole in the ground being created, reducing the capacity to backfill cliff faces at the end of the permission in 2025.

‘This report fails to acknowledge that Yennadon Quarry has been part of Dartmoor’s cultural heritage for over 100 years. The park should be ‘conserving and enhancing’ cultural heritage on an equal basis with natural beauty and wildlife.

‘The report read as if the continuation of a centuries-old way of like is a bad thing.

‘With regard to the application of Policy COR 22, Yennadon Quarry has been previously defined by DNPA as ‘small scale for building stone’. Given that the area for extraction will only increase by approximate one third it is difficult to see how any rational assessment of the proposal against this policy could now define it as major. It begs the question what has changed since the 1991 consent.’

Dr Tom Greeves from The Dartmoor Society said: ‘Essentially I think it is a good thing that they are taking more time because it means that more information will be considered and hopefully that will result in the right decision being made. I am still very much in support of the plans as I think the quarry is a part of real Dartmoor.’

Phil Hut from Dartmoor Preservation Association said: ‘I would think that the deferral is fair enough. It is a very important local issue with lots of people who are pro the plans and lots of people are against – we are of course against the plans.

‘With the amount that has been said about the plans, I would think that there is a lot to be considered and it is a good thing that they are going through things thoroughly rather than hurriedly.’

The quarry employs 27 people and many local residents argue that extending the quarry will provide vital local employment.

On the Sheepstor Hub’s Facebook page a local resident commented: ‘Hurry up planning. Local people need that extra work.’

The plan to extend its size and improve its output received 50 letters of support and 92 letters of objection, many coming from the neighbouring community of Dousland.

Burrator Parish Council’s planning committee voted in August to object to the application.

An objection was also received from the Dartmoor Preservation Association, and a letter of support came from The Dartmoor Society.