Massive asphalt plant planned for Membury

Plans for an asphalt plant near Membury services have gone forward to West Berkshire Council.

Representations have been received from 81 contributors, 44 of which support, and 36 of which object to the proposal.

One petition in support (134 signatories) and two petitions objecting to the proposal (129 and 41 signatories respectively) were also received.

Supporters say Lambourn has always been heavily involved with asphalt and a lot of people work in the industry locally.

Those already working in the sector are a key part of the community and having an asphalt plant in Membury will provide secure employment, benefitting the local economy, they argue.

But Lambourn and Baydon parish councils have already objected to the scheme.

They say it amounts to development creep of an already over-industrialised area and that noise and smell will impact the local area and Membury Services.

They also say it would have a harmful visual impact on the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), due to its size and scale and that the rural road networks are already struggling with increased traffic numbers.

They add that little economic benefits would come from it, compared to the harm done to residents’ health and well-being and the environmental impact this would have on the locality.

Council officers disagree, however, and say the proposal is considered necessary in the interests of the economic well-being of the district and wider area and is proportionate given the overall benefits of the scheme in terms of provision of direct and indirect employment, appropriate land use, and the reduction in carbon emissions through the use of recycled material and reduction in trip length.

The development will result in an increase of 30 additional heavy goods vehicle movements (15 in, 15 out), 68 light goods vehicle movements (34 in and 34 out) and 16 car vehicle movements (eight in, eight out) on the roads each day.

The West Berkshire Local Aggregates Assessment recognises that West Berkshire is an importer of crushed rock and as such, due to a lack of active hard rock quarries, the proposed development has a role to play in its contribution to the construction industry by ensuring sufficient facilities to produce asphalt remain available within the district.

The council’s western area planning will decide the matter on Wednesday (March 19).