Pitairlie Quarry – Northern Extension
Denfind Stone began trading in 2004 when Brian and Alison Binnie recognised that a disused Angus sandstone quarry on their farm had the potential to meet the growing demand for local, high quality, natural and aesthetically sympathetic building materials.
In order for Denfind Stone to continue operating, and supplying their established market from the historical Pitairlie Quarry, an extension is now being sought.
A Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) was undertaken in May-June 2020, in advance of the submission of a planning application to Angus Council.
Denfind Stone invited comment via Dalgleish Associates from all interested parties for consideration in the finalisation of the planning application.
Draft documents were made available on this website, including:
In lieu of a public event, a live and interactive web-based consultation, was held on Thursday 21st May 2020 between 6pm and 8pm.
For this consultation exercise we used Zoom.
Thank you to those of you who joined us. This consultation is now closed.
PAC – Q&A Session
Q Intervening Land – What will happen to the area of land between the properties along Panmure Road and the site boundary?
A The land will be retained as grassland and will be cut periodically.
Q Soil Stripping – Will the excavation area be stripped at once?
A No. As has been noted, the identified hard rock reserve represents an operational life of around 50 years. It would make no sense to strip land and create bare ground over an area that might not be required for a further 30 or 40 years. By stripping the land in small phases, only when required for mineral excavation, a significant proportion of the land can be retained in agriculture and landtake and the associated impacts can be minimised.
Q Screening Mounds – Will all of the screening mounds be built at the commencement of operations or will this be phased as the development progresses?
A The whole of the eastern screening mound will be built at the commencement of operations; this is necessary as this mound creates an acoustic barrier and is necessary to ensure that the noise experienced at residential properties is minimised and kept within acceptable limits.
It was noted that the northern screening mound is required to screen operations from the proposed holiday park to the north within Denfind Plantation. It is now over two years since this permission was granted and it is unclear when, or whether it will actually be implemented. Accordingly, as the northern screening mound would not otherwise be required, and the mound does, itself, represent a minor visual impact, the quarry development proposal has been changed slightly and it is now proposed that the mound shall only actually be constructed once there is a clear indication that the holiday use is being implemented. In these circumstances, the mound would be fully constructed before the holiday accommodation was in use.
Q How much view will we lose from the bund (Bonavista)?
A The view from the bottom corner of the garden at Bonavista was shown as part of the presentation with a visualisation showing what the view would be like once the screening mound was in place. It was noted that the viewpoint was representative of the view from eye level. The visualisation showed that the restriction in height of the mound (3m) ensured that longer distance views and the existing skyline were retained. It was also noted that the viewpoint at the north-eastern corner of the garden is the lowest viewpoint in relation to this property and that, as the land rises approximately 1.5m to the property, any external views at the property, or elevated views within the property would be likely to offer a wider view of the countryside beyond the development, although the quarry operations would remain effectively screened. The viewpoint assessment provided is therefore effectively a worst case scenario.
To allow residents to assess the likely reduction in view themselves, Brian Binnie agreed to put markers on the electricity poles which traverse the site and run parallel with the screening mound. These markers would be representative of the height of the mound and would allow individuals to independently asses the view that would be retained once the mound was in place. These markers were subsequently set out.