KM: Florida holiday offer as part of fight against 3.6 million tonne quarry

A Florida holiday is the latest incentive to fight a 3.6 million sand quarry.

Villagers in Ryarsh, near West Malling, are offering the chance to win a trip with sun, sea, and sand, to help fund its solicitor for the next seven days.

Residents tell KMTV they fear the worst

Kent County Council is holding a Early Partial Review of the Kent Minerals and Waste Local Plan 2013-30 and the Kent Mineral Sites Plan.

In December 2017 KCC revealed 3.6m tonnes of sand could be dug up off Roughetts Road in Ryarsh.

The Ryarsh Protection Group has been vocal against the plan and is now running a raffle to fund a solicitor it has present at the meeting.

Children from Ryarsh Primary School joined a protest against the proposed sand quarry. Picture: Gary Browne

Roughetts Road resident John Tangney said: "People in the village have had to underwrite the cost.

"There's a number of us who are probably the worst affected who are prepared to pay, but the value of properties in Ryarsh could fall between 10% and 25% because of this quarry.

"There are a number of us on Roughetts Road who are worst affected as the quarry will be right below us."

The lottery is offering a two-week family holiday to Florida's Paradise Coast for winners, along with prizes of £1,000, and £500 for runners-up.

You can buy tickets for the raffle here.

Oonagh McCullagh-Boyle, one of RPG's founders, said: "By purchasing a lotto ticket you're helping to save and protect this thriving community."

The area off Roughetts Road, Ryarsh, which could be turned into a sand quarry

An alternative option at Chapel Farm in Lenham looked to be the preferred option when KCC deemed the Ryarsh option inappropriate last December.

The Lenham quarry would be just east of a proposed 5,000 home garden village, but lorry access would go from the farm onto the A20 with little disturbance to locals.

Site backers launched a legal challenge last year, while Tom Tugendhat handed a petition against the quarry into parliament.

Borough Green Sandpits has responded to the meeting by criticising KCC's research.

Its stated: "KCC has not worked with the neighbouring authorities to understand or accommodate their unmet needs even though it is clear that there is a soft sand supply issue across the authorities within the South East England Aggregates Working Party."

It claims the council's predicted mineral need is too low and the four million tonnes of sand availabe at Chapel Farm, Lenham, is not sufficient.

Source: https://www.kentonline.co.uk/malling/news/florida-offer-in-fight-against-sand-quarry-214663/