Rural Economic Development
SHOULD THE HARRIS SUPERQUARRY
GO AHEAD ?
CONTENTS
TABLE OF FIGURES I
1 SUMMARY 1
2 INTRODUCTION 1
FIGURE 1 LOCATION OF THE SUPERQUARRY 2
3 THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE DEBATE 3
3.1 History 3
3.2 The reasons for the selection of Lingerbay 4
3.3 The need for economic development 4
3.4 Other incentives 5
3.5 The environmental concerns 5
3.6 Making the quarry more palatable 6
4 CONCLUSIONS 6
4.1 The case for development 6
4.2 The case against development 6
4.3 The probable outcome 6
4.4 A suitable compromise 6
REFERENCES 7
TABLE OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1 LOCATION OF THE SUPERQUARRY 3
1
1 SUMMARY
There is considerable environmental opposition to the development of the Harris
superquarry. This is unlikely to stop the development on its own, but if the Scottish
Office decides that the project can go ahead environmental restrictions are likely to be
imposed on the operation to minimise, as far as possible, the impact. The reasons for
the
development centre round the need for economic development to bring jobs and
prosperity to this remote area. The life of the quarry is expected to be around 60 years
and provide an initial 30 jobs, rising to 80 as the quarry reaches peak production. The
question is if a superquarry is the best solution to the problems of a remote rural area.
What will happen when the jobs come to an end and would another form of investment
not be more appropriate to their needs? Would the presence of a quarry restrict the
choice for further development? Could an integrated approach be adopted and a 2nd
generation quarry planned? The decision of whether or not to go ahead cannot be
delayed indefinitely as Norway and Spain are looking at developing their own. If it is
to
go ahead then an early start will give Harris a stronger position in the market.
2 INTRODUCTION
This report examines the controversy and key issues surrounding the superquarry at
Rodel, Lingerbay on the southern coast of the Isle of Harris (Figure 1) and attempts to
find an acceptable solution. The quarry will hollow out the heart of the mountain but
leave enough of a shell to leave the skyline largely unaffected. The whole question of
whether or not it should go ahead or not is the subject of the current public enquiry in
Stornaway. A decision must be made soon. The market for aggregates is limited,
Norway and Spain (Section 3.1, 1991) have their own sites and are also looking at the
potential for developing them.
FIGURE 1 LOCATION OF THE SUPERQUARRY
(Glasgow Herald, 20/10/94)
3 THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE DEBATE
3.1 History
1927 A detailed geological survey identified the deposit of anorthosite.
1965 Planning permission was given in principle to quarry the rock. The remit
covered a larger site than is planned today.
1966 Some small scale quarrying took place but found an on site rock crushing
plant and a deep harbour were necessary for economic viability.
74-76 Outline planning permission was given for quarrying, shipping and loading
facilities but this was never acted on.
1977 The Scottish Office issued National Planning Guidelines. Harris was
identified as one of 9 potential sites. (The Scotsman 18/7/93)
1980 Ian Wilson, a Scottish entrepreneur specialising in minerals, persuaded
Ralph Verney, the advisor to the environmental secretary, to recommend
a large scale study on the potential of superquarrys in Scotland. The
Scottish Office commissioned Dalradian Mineral Services - Wilson and
Colin Gribble - to write a report on the prospects. It was published in
1980 and listed 16 potential sites including 5 key sites, one of which was
Rodel. Many of the mineral rites were bought by Wilson before he
published the report, the rest he acquired later. He sold his idea for the
Harris superquarry at Rodel (Figure 1) to Redland Aggregates, and if the
quarry goes ahead, he will receive a royalty for each tonne of rock
removed. (New Scientist 1994)
1981 Outline planning permission was given for quarrying but it was not on a
large enough scale to be economically viable.
1988 The Scottish Office asked the Western Islands Island Council to develop a
policy on mineral extraction. This has still not been done.
1989 Government Planning Guidance Notes predicted a demand for crushed
rock.
1991 Consultants Ove Arup surveyed the potential for sites and identified 12 in
Norway, 1 - 2 in the north of Spain and less than 4 in Scotland.
Redland Aggregates submitted a new planning application to the
Western Isles Island Council.
1992 The Scottish Office issued a draft report which recognised the potential
for Rodel but found that socio-economic benefits needed to be balanced
with environmental consequences. (The Scotsman 18/7/93)
1993 A poll was sent out to 1822 islanders asking them to vote on the issue.
1109 replied, which amounted to a 60.9% response. The results showed
that the majority of the Islanders were in favour of the quarry. The votes
cast were as follows: For, 682 (62.1%) and Against, 417 (37.9%). There
was a strong regional variation though, the further from the site the
people were, the more in favour they tended to be. (Glasgow Herald
17/6/93) A week later this poll resulted in the Western Islands Council
voting in favour of the planning application by 24 votes to 3. (Glasgow
Herald 25/6/93) Western Isles Island Council held a Special meeting in
Tarbet. (The Scotsman 18/7/93) The Department of the Environment
concluded that England could not meet its own demands for aggregates.
(New Scientist 1994)
1994 A Royal commission report concluded that the demand for aggregates for
road construction would be considerably cut by reducing our current
dependence on road transport. It recommended that if coastal
superquarries were to be granted planning permission then it should be a
legal requirement that the quarried rock should be transported by sea. It
further concluded that the recycling of construction materials would
remove the need for superquarries and reduce the distance over which
aggregates would need to be transported. (Royal Commission 1994) By
September the Highlands and Islands Enterprise had given its general
support to the project and the Highlands and Islands Development Board
had approved a grant and loan totalling ?250,000 to the company set up
by Ian Wilson, Harris Minerals Ltd. (Glasgow Herald 30/9/94)
3.2 The reasons for the selection of Lingerbay
The reasons for the selection of the site were mainly economic:
* The mountain consists of an estimated potential of 6 million tonnes of anorthosite.
As far as the aggregate industry is concerned this rock is a top quality product,
suitable for a producing a wide range of aggregates, gravels and sands.
* The mountain is situated by a deep glacial sea loch which is required for the
access of the 30,000 tonne ships which will remove the rock. Unless the rock can be
directly loaded from the site to the ships the quarry will not be economically viable.
The
loch is deep enough to accommodate the deep harbour (24 meters) required.
3.3 The need for economic development
Lack of employment drives people out of the countryside. This creates problems as it
results in an ageing population and a higher dependant to worker ratio. This has a
dramatic effect on the cash flow of the area - As pensioners have less to spend than a
paid worker, there is less money spent in the local shops and pubs. This means in a cut
in services - Less profits result in less provision. This is the downward spiral of
rural
depopulation and deprivation. Deprivation exists if welfare drops below an agreed
standard. This definition goes further than the problem of finance. Education, public
transport, healthcare, housing and recreational services are all covered by the above
definition. In remote rural areas the general level of these services are clearly lower
than
the national average. (Midwinter, A and Monaghan 1990) Harris now has a population
of 2,200 which represents a decline of 41% over the last 40 years, for those who remain
33% of households have no adult in work. (The Guardian 8/11/94) Ian Wilson claims
that the creation of the superquarry will bring prosperity to the dieting corners of the
Highlands and Islands and is the economic development necessary to reverse this decline.
3.4 Other incentives
Redland Aggregates has conceded annual donations to a local trust fund if the quarry
goes ahead. This would rise to a sum of ?100,000 as the quarry reached full production.
(Glasgow Herald 16/6/94)
Ships could provide a cheap piggyback for distributing local produce. (New Scientist
1994)
3.5 The environmental concerns
* Ships ballast water could introduce foreign species of sea life. This is a concern
because without predatory biological control any introduced species could multiply
rapidly and put the local marine ecosystem at risk. (New Scientist 1994) There is
particular concern over the introduction of toxic phytoplankton species. (SNH 1994)
* The area is home to otters. They are protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside
Act and some would be displaced by the development. (Scottish Field 1993)
* The potential for a collision with oil tankers will be greatly increased due to the
extra
traffic involved. (Friends of the Earth)
* Although not a SSSI the site beats the qualifying mark of 300 points and is the home
of 149 species of bryophite (Mosses and liverworts) 7 of which are rare. (The
Scotsman 10/10/94) These are particularly vulnerable to dust. Heather and bog
mosses, an integral part of the ecosystem, could be sensitive to increases in calcium
and soil pH levels. (SNH 1994)
* Harris is designated as a National Scenic Area and should be preserved. (The
Scotsman 10/10/94)
* Development of a quarry could also restrict some types of other development. Harris
has an exceptional asset of a pollution free environment. This is recognised by Scotia
Pharmaceuticals who plan the development of an a micro-algae farm on Harris. This
development is under threat because they could not risk any chance of contamination
to a product destined for the medical industry. (The Scotsman 3/10/94)
3.6 Making the quarry more palatable
Redland Aggregates has indicated that non resident workers would have to leave the
island at weekends to minimise any conflict with the locals. This would be written into
their contract of employment. (The Scotsman 13/10/94)
A 2nd generation superquarry would have a dual purpose, it would provide rock for
quarrying but this would be part of a construction programme. The end result would not
be just a hole in the ground but could be designed to fill some other use, for example
produce HEP.
4 CONCLUSIONS
4.1 The case for development
The Scottish Office approves. (Section 3.1) Rodel is the best site in geological terms.
(Section 3.2) The quarrying and shipping would be badly needed economic catalysts to
the area. (Section 3.3 and 3.4) There is a limited demand for aggregates and Spain and
Norway are developing their own plans. If the Harris quarry is delayed too long then it
will have to face this extra competition.
4.2 The case against development
The area is an NSA and development would cause environmental concerns. (Section
3.5) There are other alternatives - especially the recycling of construction materials.
(Section 3.1)
4.3 The probable outcome
There is no doubt that Harris could benefit from economic development, but what would
become of it when the rock runs out or if demand falls? My personal feeling is that the
rock should be left alone. The contamination of a pristine environment is too high a
cost
to pay. Clean Industry which could benefit from this resource would be a more
appropriate development but due to the support of both central and local government,
the islanders and Ian Wilson I feel planning permission will most likely be given.
4.4 A suitable compromise
If the development is to go ahead then I would like to see a second generation
development. (Section 3.6) This would give the quarry a secondary use and could
provide long term benefit to the community when it has reached the end of its productive
life. The operation should also have strict regulations on extraction procedure to
reduce,
as far as possible, any environmental impact. The Western Islands Island Council should
be ordered to develop a policy on mineral extraction and include plans to phase in other
development as the quarry nears the end of its life. The last thing Harris needs is to
be
left in an economic vacuum when the rock runs out.
REFERENCES
Friends of the Earth, Superquarries versus sustainability, Recruitment leaflet
Glasgow Herald, (17/6/93), Harris majority backs superquarry
Glasgow Herald, (25/6/93), Isles' ?50 Million quarry finally given go ahead
Glasgow Herald, (16/6/94), Quarry firm to pledge ?100,000 to Island trust
Glasgow Herald, (30/9/94), Enterprise at odds with heritage
Glasgow Herald, (20/10/94), First shots fired in quarry inquiry
The Guardian, (8/11/94) Native chieftain brings magic of the stones across the Atlantic
to help Hebrides see off threat to mince mountain into chippings, Page 6
Midwinter, A and Monaghan, (1990), The measurement and analysis of rural
deprivation, Report for COSLA, February 1990
New Scientist, (1994), Rush for rock in the Highlands, 8/1/94
Royal Commission, (1994), Transport and the environment-18th Report, HMSO,
London
The Scotsman, (18/7/93), Moving mountains to see how the land lies
The Scotsman, (3/10/94), Drug firm says quarry could hit expansion
The Scotsman, (10/10/94), The cruel dilemma for the people of Harris
The Scotsman, (13/10/94), Island curbs on superquarry contract staff
Scottish Field, (1993), Otter disruption, October 1993
SNH, (1994), Lingerbay press pack
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