Page 309 - Introduction to Mineral Exploration

292 M.K.G. WHATELEY & W.L. BARRETT

TABLE 12.2 Some major Phase 4
Cost center Order of magnitude costs.
of expenditure in
1988–89 £ values
1 Overburden excavation and disposal 15,000,000
2 Post Phase 3 drilling and testing 192,000
3 Landscaping design, cultivation, 375,000
supervision
4 Plant purchase, erection, 30,000,000
commissioning
5 Road improvements and rail link 3000,000
6 Quarry development and sundry 4000,000
other costs
Approximate total of major costs 52,567,000

the plant area. The overburden was disposed of 1990 saw most of the planned works
along the southwestern perimeter to complete completed and several million tonnes of rock
this new landform. Some 8 ha of new landform produced. In the future further scheduled over-
were cultivated and seeded, and rock removal burden removal and bank building phases will
to form the primary crusher slot and platform be required, and are incorporated with appro-
commenced. Highway improvements were priate safeguards in the planning consents.
undertaken, and erection of the plant and asso- Phase 4 costs are shown in Table 12.2.
ciated infrastructure commenced towards
the year’s end.
During 1988 the erection of the processing 12.6 QUARRYING AND ENVIRONMENTAL
plant, the asphalt and ready mixed concrete IMPACT
plants, the electrical substations, weigh-
bridges, and offices was started and continued The Stud Farm (now known as New Cliffe Hill)
throughout the year. The development of quarry is nearing the end of its life with annual
quarry benches and further overburden strip- production of 4.5 Mt of crushed aggregate, and
ping was also carried out in 1988. The overbur- extraction will probably be complete in 2005.
den was deposited to create a new landform As envisaged in the original plan, production
along the northern and western perimeter will then move back to Old Cliffe Hill with
of the site. All completed landform sections processing at the New Cliffe Hill plant. In order
were cultivated and seeded and tree planting to accomplish this, the two quarries have been
commenced around the main entrance to the linked by a 725-m-long, 9 × 6 m tunnel. This
quarry. should enable production to continue until at
In 1989 the erection of the plants and ancil- least 2024, subject to a review by the planning
lary structures was essentially completed and authorities in 2007. The Cliffe Hill quarries are
plant commissioning commenced towards the run by Midland Quarry Products, a joint ven-
end of the year. Further quarry development ture of Tarmac with Hanson Quarry Products,
was carried out to create the approximately formed in 1996 to enable more efficient work-
200 m of 15-m-high faces that will be needed to ing of their reserves in the area.
sustain the anticipated production. The rail The Cliffe Hill quarries are a long-term op-
link was also completed and officially opened eration and have had to adapt to the changing
in October (Figs 12.2 & 12.8). public attitudes and social makeup of the local
Cultivation and planting works continued population. During much of the twentieth cen-
on the completed landforms and the Central tury the impact of quarrying was overshad-
Electricity Generating Board commenced the owed by that of deep level coal mining in the
erection of new pylons to enable the 132 kV nearby area. Since the cessation of coal mining
powerline to be re-routed in 1990. in the early 1990s the area has become home to