An appeal has succeeded in granting approval for a new quarry operation, allowing approximately 550,000 tonnes of gravel to be removed over a five-year period.

The ruling to approve the White Cross Farm Quarry at Cholsley has provoked strong objections from Wallingford Town Council.

London Rock Supplies Ltd pursued the appeal after Oxfordshire County Council rejected their initial application.

According to a spokesperson, the town council expressed disappointment regarding the granting of planning consent.

Approximately 1,700 individuals have added their names to a petition opposing the proposed gravel extraction site.

A council representative stated that the Planning Inspector determined the established requirement for sand and gravel extraction within Oxfordshire held greater weight than the objections raised, resulting in the appeal being upheld.

During the planning hearing, the Wallingford Neighbourhood Planning Steering Group together with representatives from Cholsey Parish Council submitted documentation responding to worries regarding effects on the surrounding landscape, the River Thames corridor, the Thames Path and the wider local environment.

The inspector recognised residents’ concerns but determined that potential effects could be adequately controlled through planning conditions and mitigation strategies.

These measures encompass limitations on operating times, caps on heavy goods vehicle trips, deployment of white noise reversing alarms, wheel-washing installations, and particular landscape enhancement requirements.

The quarry operation will proceed.

This consent authorises removal of roughly 550,000 tonnes of material across five years, followed by twelve months of site reinstatement work.

Annual extraction is expected to reach approximately 140,000 tonnes.

The applicants originally filed quarry proposals in 2021 covering 19 acres of land situated south of Wallingford, indicating the site would be converted into a marina following gravel removal.

Oxfordshire County Council issued a refusal in 2024.

Of the 351 responses submitted to the council regarding the proposal, only a single expression of support was recorded.

Planning inspector John Dowsett issued his determination that although there is some disagreement over how beneficial the restoration scheme would be, there is no dispute that once the mineral extraction is completed and the site is restored, it would be returned to at least the same condition and appearance that it had before the works.

He further determined that ultimately there would be no irrevocable harm to the setting of the Chilterns National Landscape, nor to the landscape and visual appearance of the River Thames or users of the Thames Path.

He acknowledged there would be a period of time when there would be changes to the appearance of the area and the degree of tranquillity experienced by users of the Thames Path and recreational users of the river.

However, he concluded that these changes would be evanescent, being at their height during the working period and diminishing shortly thereafter.