Hertfordshire County Council has approved a proposal to extract 3.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel over 10 years at Hatfield quarry. The application site comprised four parcels of land next to the existing quarry, which would be worked on a phased basis and restored using imported inert waste.The site lay within the metropolitan green belt and covered 117 hectares of farmland. Existing quarry infrastructure would be retained and new conveyor tunnels, road crossings and access point provided.The restored site would include wetland areas, seasonal ponds, farmland and woodland. Mineral would be extracted using an excavator and loading shovel at a rate of 450,000 tonnes a year over eight years and restoration would be completed two years later. The site was allocated for mineral extraction in the emerging minerals local plan and the landbank was close to the minimum seven years recommended in national policy.
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