Another poor year for new quarry reserves

• 
• 21st June 2008
• Quarrying
 

Only a half of construction aggregates that are extracted are being replaced with new reserves. During 2007, quarrying companies again suffered from a lack of consents for aggregates reserves not replacing volumes extracted during the year. Just over 100 million tonnes of new reserves are thought to have been granted last year. This compares with over 200 million tonnes of sand and gravel and crushed rock extracted in 2007.

Only three planning consents granted in 2007 related to additional reserves involving over 5 million tonnes of new reserves. The largest of these (47 million tonnes) was a consent subject to a legal agreement. Without this, the situation would have been even worse.

This analysis has been prepared by BDS Marketing Research, which has monitored planning applications and consents for new minerals since the consultancy first started in 1989. A monthly report lists recent planning developments. The company also maintains a database of all pits and quarries with details of planning decisions and estimates of outputs and reserves for each pit and quarry in the country.

Since 2000, BDS Marketing Research Ltd believes that in only one year has the industry replenished the volume of aggregates extracted. This was in 2006, when one consent for 420 million tonnes helped the situation, although a high proportion of this additional volume will be destined for mainland Europe.

During 2007, sand and gravel companies in the south west, east midlands and East Anglia managed to replenish much of the production during the year. The west midlands had few additional sand and gravel reserves granted. In crushed rock, there was limited planning activity for new reserves in the east midlands, north west, Wales and Scotland. Yet these regions produce around 90 million tonnes of aggregates each year.

There are a number of outstanding planning applications that could help the industry. BDS Marketing Research has identified around 40 applications awaiting a decision, each involving over 1 million tonnes of additional reserves. Not all of these will be given the green light, some are still waiting for a decision several years after the original application. However, five of these applications involve quantities of more than 10 million tonnes each.

BDS Marketing & Research Ltd
Lonsdale House
Single Hill
Shoscombe
BA2 8LZ
UK

T: 01761 433035
F: 01761 434579