Frequently asked questions

The Site is known to have a mineral deposit as it has been the subject of an earlier detailed geological site investigation which involved the drilling of boreholes to prove the nature and depth of the underlying geology.
The previous mineral extraction operations at Old Kiln Quarry have already proved the presence of the sand and serve to augment that recorded within the boreholes.

The boreholes proved the depth to the base of the sandy layer (the Lambeth Group) as being between 6.8 and 13.8m below ground level. All of the boreholes drilled encountered Chalk beneath the Lambeth Group.

Building sand is made up of fine to medium grained particles, between 0.2 mm and 0.7 mm in size, which are rounded and uniform in size. When building sand is mixed with cement and water, it makes a workable mortar mix which is sticky, capable of being squeezed into gaps and supporting the weight of several bricks or blocks but does not flow. A fairly uniform colour is also important for visual appearances.

In comparison, sand worked at sand and gravel quarries is a mix of coarse sized sand up to 6.3 mm in size and is usually angular in shape which means it is unsuitable for mortar mixes.

Inert waste (infill) materials consist of excavation material such as clays and subsoils from construction projects. They are unreactive, meaning they don’t undergo significant physical, chemical, or biological transformations when disposed of.

Use of inert infill material for quarry restoration is controlled by strict Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) and procedures. This process will prevent any chemically unsuitable material being placed at the site. Furthermore, the use of inert infill material for restoration will be controlled by an Environment Agency permit.

Recycled aggregates are primarily generated from construction work when buildings are demolished and to a lesser extent road resurfacing. Demolition waste comprises concrete and brick which when crushed down produces a mix of angular coarse particles and dust and are suitable for bulk fill uses and some concrete mixes. The road resurfacing waste comprises a mix of rock and oil based bitumen and this is primarily reused to resurface existing or new roads.

Secondary aggregate sources are varied and comprise wastes from industrial processes such as steel making, china clay production and energy from waste plants. The majority of these materials are of a coarse angular nature. A small proportion of China clay waste when processed is capable of meeting the mortar sand requirements. As this material is located in Cornwall and given a lack of local sand in Cornwall and Devon it is used to help meet their own local requirements.

The supply of recycled aggregate is limited by the amount of demolition activity and that of secondary aggregates is limited by the amount of industrial activity in those sectors.

Given limited supplies of recycled and secondary materials and their physical characteristics, they do not meet the requirements of a building sand, consequently there is no substitute available.

The MPA has calculated that it takes 200 tonnes of aggregate to build a typical, 3-bedroom home with 20 tonnes of mortar.

Building sand is a naturally occurring material that was deposited in limited areas over several geological periods under shallow sea conditions. It is therefore naturally limited in where it is available.

Historically, the majority of the soft sand deposits that have been worked in West Berkshire have been those found in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, in particular the outcrop found around the Chieveley area. While some deposits of soft sand also exist outside the National Landscape, they are heavily constrained by the built environment.

The land is currently managed by the Fairhurst Estates Properties Limited. Following restoration, the site will be subject to a statutory aftercare scheme which Grundon will be responsible for. Following restoration, the site will return to agricultural use.

While the site is located within a designated National Landscape, it is largely well screened by trees and surrounding woodland. Soil storage bunds around the perimeter of the site will also provide additional screening and will be sown with a suitable grass seed mix. Once soils have been stripped, much of the extraction work will occur below existing ground level.

A number of trees at the site are the subject of Tree Preservation Orders. All trees will be retained and protected by fencing while works are taking place in close proximity.

Following restoration, the site would return to its existing use with additional areas of tree planting, scrub or additional field margins for ecological enhancement.

The site has been subject to various ecological surveys and these have informed the baseline against which a biodiversity gain will be measured. A management plan will be drawn up for the life of the site that will guide the aftercare of the site and ensure a 10% biodiversity gain is achieved, as required by the Environment Act 2021.

Yes. In order to facilitate the proposed development, it will be necessary to divert the footpath (Ref. CHIE/37/1) that crosses through the northern half of the site. The footpath will be temporarily diverted along the northern site boundary.

No. All HGVs will access and exit the site via junction 13 of the M4/A34 roads therefore avoiding access through Chieveley Services. Only HGVs delivering materials to or removing excavation materials from construction projects within local villages will need to access site via them.

We would use a series of well established, industry best practice techniques, which are used extensively across the country to reduce potential impacts during all stages of quarry development and subsequent restoration.

Potential sources of noise and dust could include:
• sand processing
• site vehicles handling sand and inert infill
• reversing bleepers
• customer HGVs

These potential issues can all be addressed by effective site design and management, as potential impacts are well understood. At Chieveley, best practice management would include:
• use of electric sand processing plant
• operating below ground level within the excavation
• designing one way vehicle systems to eliminate the need for reversing bleepers and warning alarms
• monitoring all moving equipment like the processing plant and site vehicles
• use speed limits on internal roads
• use an onsite mobile water tank to spray internal roads and sand storage area
• using an on-site road sweeper
• damping down of stockpiles
• locating operations such as the processing plant away from public rights of way

The operation would be subject to regular monitoring by Grundon. West Berkshire Council will independently inspect the site usually three times per year.