Quarry applications get the go-ahead

As work gets underway on the dualling of the A9 within an area of the Cairngorms National Park, three applications relating to the multi-billion pound project have been approved by members of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) today (Friday 18th September).

 
The three applications from Breedon Aggregates Scotland Ltd involve the Meadowside Quarry at Kincraig and seek permission for the creation of a new temporary access road to the construction site, the installation of new plant and permission to vary a previous condition allowing the company to increase the rate of annual extraction at the quarry.

 
Breedon Aggregates is seeking permission to increase the rate of extraction from 50,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes per year for a temporary period of two years, to supply materials for the Kincraig to Dalraddy section of the A9 dualling project.

 
A new access road directly from the quarry to the construction site adjacent to the A9 was also considered at today’s meeting, as was the temporary erection of a mobile asphalt plant within the quarry site for a period of up to two years.

 
CNPA Planning Office Matthew Taylor explained: “All three applications are for temporary works in association with the A9 dualling project and given the established nature of the quarry I recommend them all for approval subject to various conditions.”

 
Eleanor Mackintosh, the Planning Committee Convener said: “The dualling of the A9 is one of the biggest infrastructure projects Scotland has ever seen and the Park Authority has a key role to play. Whether it’s planning applications like the ones we have before us today or working alongside those delivering the project to ensure that outdoor access and active travel are easy along the route of the road and that our natural heritage and landscapes are not compromised.

 
“We welcome the significant gains that the dualling of the A9 will bring to the economy of the National Park and we will continue to work closely with our partners in Transport Scotland and others to help ensure that the development is one that befits a National Park.”

 
To read the planning papers in full please click HERE

 
Ends.