Agricultural development

Project scope

The development on a 24.3-hectare application site comprises: • Extension of the existing sand and gravel pit, in two separate but contiguous working areas on the eastern side of the Doran’s Pit Complex; • Installation of new site infrastructure to facilitate the proposed pit development, principally a weighbridge and associated site / weighbridge office, a wheelwash, additional settlement lagoons, electrical charging infrastructure, staff welfare facilities and equipment / sample storage facilities; • Stripping of overburden soils for immediate use in construction of environmental / perimeter safety bunds and stockpiling of any excess topsoil and overburden soil cover pending its re-use as cover material in future pit restoration works; • Extraction of in-situ sand and gravel to within 2m of the in-situ groundwater table using battery powered (i.e. non-fossil fuel powered) mechanical excavators; • Temporary removal and subsequent reinstatement of the existing internal haul road running north-south inside the eastern property boundary. The reinstated road will be lowered to run over the working floor of the Upper Pit and will rise northwards on an earth embankment (ramp) to the existing site access along Darker’s Lane; • Transfer of excavated sand and gravel to the existing processing (washing and screening) plant to the west of the excavation area using battery powered dump trucks; • Continued processing of excavated sand and gravel at the existing (mains-powered) processing plant to the west of the excavation area; • Use of the adjoining (existing) pond and additional (new) ponds to settle out the separated fine particulate (silt) materials; • Continued stockpiling of unprocessed sand and gravel and/or processed aggregates around the washing and screening plant, as required; • Dispatch of processed aggregates off-site via the existing site access road and its junction with the N81 National Secondary Road at Santryhill (and any future replacement link road to the Blessington Inner Relief Road constructed over the life of the proposed development); • Upgrading of the internal haul roads across Roadstone lands as required to support the proposed pit development, to include re-surfacing of the section between the proposed wheelwash facility and the existing N81 junction where necessary; • Implementation of scheme to progressively restore excavated pit areas (in phases) to agricultural grassland in tandem with extraction activities.