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NEWS QUARRY IS HUNTED - Gazette 07 July 2010
QUARRY IS HUNTED - Gazette
Villagers in rural Clydesdale are celebrating after the council threw out the controversial quarry application at Overburns Farm.
The application, from Patersons of Greenoakhill, was rejected by the council's planning committee on Tuesday morning following a lengthy protest campaign by locals.
If permission had been granted, 4.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel would have been extracted over a period of between 11 and 15 years.
In the report, planning officials stated that insufficent information had been submitted to assess the potential environmental impact as well as concerns regarding the effectiveness of a 20 metre flooding 'buffer zone' between the quarry and the River Clyde.
By Ross Thomson
Click on link below to read more of the Carluke and Lanark Gazette online story Council REJECT the OVERBURNS application 06 July 2010 Council REJECT the OVERBURNS application
 At todays council planning meeting in Hamilton, the Overburns quarry application was completely rejected by the planning committee.
Click HERE to read the report to committee
To download the report click on the link below SLC Planning Committee date 6/7/10 24 June 2010 SLC Planning Committee date 6/7/10
This planning committee meeting is scheduled to be held at 10am in committee room 1 at the council headquarters at Almada Street, Hamilton.
To read the committee report click HERE
For South Lanarkshire Council contact information click HERE
...and for Councillors and Committees click HERE News from Lesmahagow campaign on Paterson HGV traffic 12 June 2010 News from Lesmahagow campaign on Paterson HGV traffic
Click on the link below to read about community concerns in the Lesmahagow area about Paterson Dunduff Quarry traffic proposals... Update meeting and AGM 28 April 2010 Update meeting and Annual General Meeting
Clyde River Action Group (CRAG) will be having an update meeting and AGM at 7.30pm on the 24th May 2010 in Coulter Hall, Coulter. All will be made most welcome.
If you wish to contact CRAG click on the link below Clyde champion George 'Geordie' Clark is remembered 27 April 2010 George 'Geordie' Clark 1945 - 2010
George, known to many as Geordie, died 21st April 2010 following a short illness.
George was a lifelong club member and served on committee and as club treasurer for many years, providing stability, continuity, local knowledge, enthusiasm and encouragement to all who worked alongside him for the benefit of Lamington & District Angling Improvement Association and the Clyde.
George could be seen almost every day on the river, and was always delighted to stop and talk about fishing in general, and fly fishing for wild brown trout in particular – it can be said that he had Clyde Water running in his veins. He was generous with his time and expertise, happy to pass on tips and knowledge to beginners and experienced anglers alike. Many times he’d go home with his fly box lighter, happy to have helped a struggling angler to catch trout.
His commitment to educating the next generation of anglers was demonstrated in his support for the Clyde in the Classroom project run by Clyde River Foundation, who will benefit from the retiring collection held following his funeral.
He was passionate in his defence of the river, and over the last year, worked unstintingly as a founder member of CRAG (Clyde River Action Group) against a proposal for a sand and gravel quarry at Overburns, Lamington. His knowledge of the river environment and ecology was greatly appreciated and valued by all who served with him on the action group committee, and he will be sorely missed.
George’s greatest pleasure was reserved for his family, his wife of 41 years, Nancy, daughters Joanne, Lorna and Rebecca, and his grandchildren Logan, Lyle, Louis, Olivia, and twins Ava and Freya.
The Clyde has lost a great champion, and I have lost a good friend.
M Martin (Sec)
Mineral matters - SLC Mineral Plan consultation 18 April 2010
Mineral matters
South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) are presently undertaking a consultation to update their 2002 Minerals Plan for a limited period of time, closing on Friday 28 May 2010 at 5pm. Click HERE for related SLC website news item.
Below are the links to the consulation documents (PDF's) and the online portal on the SLC website.
SLC Minerals Plan consultation documents 2009-10
Click on each heading to download PDF files
South Lanarkshire Council Minerals Plan 2002
Click on each heading to download PDF files
MP Question Time at TRANSITION TINTO in Wiston Lodge 07 April 2010
 This weekend Wiston Lodge will host Transition Tinto the Great Unleashing event. This will feature a series of talks and question sessions on growing communities, growing solutions and growing food.There will be a Question Time session in time for decisions on voting in the General Election with local candidates answering questions on the parties policies on issues such as global warming, climate change, sustainable development and local and seasonal food production.
TransitionTinto the Great Unleashing is this weekend April 10 and 11 at Wiston Lodge from 11am.
Contact Meg Beresford on 01899 850302, Jerome Kyndt on 01899 850215 or e-mail meg.beresford@gn.apc.org
Click on link below for more about Transition Tinto
DIGGING DEEP - Gazette 07 April 2010  DIGGING DEEP
South Lanarkshire Council is to undertake a full public consultation exercise as part of its preparation of a new Minerals Local Development Plan (MLDP).
This month and next, a Main Issues Report (MIR) will be available to view and comment upon, and feedback from that will help form the basis of the proposed plan later in the year.
Following a further period of consultation, a possible public inquiry and the seeking of committee approval, it is hoped the new MLDP will be adopted by summer 2011.
Members of the authority's planning committee gave the go-ahead for the public consultation exercise to be carried out at a recent meeting.
They were also given the opportunity to study the MIR, which was compiled based on recent consultations with affected communities, minerals industry operators and key consultees.
The report addresses key concerns and views of all of these parties, along with the council's preferred option of how to deal with each of these main issues in the final development plan.
These include areas such as identifying the preferred 'spatial' strategy for mineral extraction safeguarding mineral resources, minimising effects on people and communities, protecting the environment and ensuring excellence in working practices and restoration.
The new MLDP is being prepared as a replacement for the current Minerals Local Plan which was adopted in 2002, and in light of changes to legislation.
Councillor Graham Scott, Chair of the Planning Committee, explained: "The Main Issues Report is the first published document in the preparation of the new Minerals Local Development Plan.
"It is intended to be a focus for consultation and engagement before the proposed final plan is prepared.
"We are grateful to the communities surrounding Strathaven, Douglas and Symington who have already been involved in the process, along with industry operators and other key consultees.
"The feedback gained through these sessions has got us this far, and now we are keen to take the process to its next stage full public consultation.
"We want people to tell us how we can make the system better.
"The council is well aware of the impacts that mineral extraction can have on local communities both positive and negative.
"On the positive side, creation of jobs and boost to the local economy is of paramount importance particularly when the mineral to be extracted has a high value and is sought after in national or global markets."
Conversely mineral extraction can be controversial particularly when communities are concerned about the impacts of extraction on their quality of life.
From April 15 the Main Issues Report can be viewed online at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk.
Online feedback forms are also available. Hard copies of the report can be inspected in local libraries, Q&A and planning offices.
The consultation period will end on Friday, May 28.
Click on image above for Mine Monitor story
RESTLESS NATIVES - Gazette 07 April 2010
While most local protest groups are born, campaign and burn out in a short time, one in Clydesdale was celebrating its first birthday this week.
The first anniversary of the Clyde River Action Group is being celebrated with the declaration that CRAG has hardly even started to fight yet!
The group issued a re-statement this week that it has both the will and the means to fight all the way the proposed creation of an opencast mine "bigger than Biggar" at Overburns near Lamington.
The Gazette has extensively covered the plan to extract hundreds of thousands of tons of sand and gravel from the scenic area.
It sparked the creation of CRAG at a public meeting a year ago, attended by worried locals, in Lamington Village Hall.
The following twelve months have witnessed a colossal battle of words between the proposed developers, Patersons of Greenoakhill, and CRAG.
A year on, South Lanarkshire Council has yet to formally consider the planning application to develop the site.
But, in an anniversary statement this week," CRAG said that it was ready for anything even fighting an expensive appeal to the government of any council refusal of permission.
To bolster this, it has issued a mock-up photographic illustration of what it claims the environmentally damaging flooding effects would be, should the quarrying be allowed to proceed.
 CRAG chairwoman, local woman Caroline Parker, said: "If this awful application, which will cause environmental havoc, is turned down by the council and the applicants appeal, then CRAG is fully resourced.
"The case against Overburns will be put fully and forcefully. This destructive industrial process would change the River Clyde forever and it must be stopped."
The pressure group also took the opportunity of the anniversary to review its progress.
Prominent CRAG supporter, well-known local businessman Arthur Bell, said: "The small hall at Lamington was packed to overflowing.
"The 'natives were restless' and determined to fight for their local villages and the outstanding environment. A rape of the River Clyde's most beautiful locales was on the agenda.
"Further meetings in Coulter and Biggar confirmed widespread community support for the organisation."
A team of concerned individuals brought relevant and expert experience to support the cause.
Caroline, a senior surveyor and who farms at Symington with husband Ian, was asked to chair CRAG.
Her colleagues included people with knowledge of business, forestry and farming, police, road safety and education, and communications. Several ecologists and geologists also joined the effort.
Arthur added: "By the time Patersons of Greenoakhill actually lodged its application last August, it was apparent that a huge percentage of local people were opposed to it. "
He went on to claim that CRAG had pulled off the unusual feat of uniting representatives of all four major political parties in backing its campaign.
Such was the level of concern, he claimed, that South Lanarkshire Council had to take special steps to ensure everyone got a fair say, extending its deadline for formal objections after receiving scores of protest letters.
CRAG's own, lengthy, formal letter of objection was drawn up by one of Scotland's top planning consultants Alastair Wood of Savills and objections also came in from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Water. The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the RSPB were among the complainants too.
During the year, CRAG organised a children's art exhibition to highlight the local environment and an exhibition was staged by local Landscape Photographer of the Year Simon Butterworth.
This contained many shots of the actual proposed quarry site at Overburns Farm.
But Patersons has staunchly defended its application, rejecting most of the CRAG claims of environmental damage and even promising improvements to much of the wildlife habitat once extractions have ceased.
MP backs campaigns 14 March 2010
 Mundell backs local quarry campaignMP concerned over impact on local community of new mine working
I am backing my rural Clydesdale constituents in their opposition to a proposed new quarry at Overburns. I have made my objections to the proposed sand and gravel quarry for a number of reasons, not least its proximity to the River Clyde. The local anti-quarry campaigners have my backing, as I do not accept this is the best and only source available to the developers. I hope this is thrown out when it comes before planners in the light of such strong local opposition. In my view it is industrialisation of the picturesque Upper Clyde valley and is simply in the wrong place.
I also lodged my objection to the new opencast coal mine at Mainshill on the outskirts of Douglas. In my view planning permission should not have been given for these new opencast workings at this time and I am concerned about the cumulative impact of such opencast work in the Douglas Valley going on at the same time. It is my view that one mine should be finished before another is started and I will continue to work with local people to highlight their concerns as the works proceed.
There is only so much development that the Upper Clyde Valley can take at one time and I will continue to speak out against over industrialisation.
CRAG No Quarry - An Update 23 February 2010 Hi folks,
A quick update on Paterson's proposed quarry between Lamington, Coulter and Symington...
Basically there has been no decision been made at this point by the Sounth Lanarkshire Council (SLC). Paterson's have been asked for a further submission which SLC still has not received. After this there will be another small period of consultation. This means of course that we can't let our guard down. Please keep telling you friends of this possible atrocity. People need to keep talking about this.
The river and area at the proposed quarry spot was completely flooded over the last few months (as expected) and has sinced iced over (see photo's of this below).
On a brighter front we had a couple of great fundraisers at the end of 2009 which set CRAG up for any future actions. Thanks to everyone who supported these events.
Your continued support for the capmpairn is much appreciated and will be greatly appreciated by future generations for protecting our environment.
 
 
Quarry quarrel unites all parties - Gazette 07 January 2010
Quarry quarrel unites all parties
It may be the New Year but the campaign to stop a quarry in rural Clydesdale shows no signs of letting up.
The Clyde River Action Group (CRAG) has used the new year to reinforce its' message of objection against the proposed quarry at Overburns Farm, near Lamington.
Since its formation last March the group has continued its fight against the quarry, which has been proposed by Patersons of Greenoakhill.
CRAG chairwoman Caroline Parker said: "When our team of volunteers examined how the fishing in the now pure and clean Clyde waters would be destroyed, they were horrified.
"Almost 10,000 anglers come to this beautiful spot each year to enjoy their sport.
"Thousands of other Lanarkshire folk come to climb Tinto for the magnificent views.
"The fish would be killed and an important part of the view would be foully scoured and despoiled.
"Not only is our outstanding local beauty spot threatened but so too are associated jobs in tourism.
"B&Bs, hotels and pubs, garages and shops would all lose the annual income from these visitors."
 Outstanding beauty...but are views from Tinto Hill now in jeopardy?
Caroline thanked every one of the hundreds of people who have written to the council, objecting to the plan, and others who have contributed financially to CRAG.
She added: "The funds raised have allowed us to employ leading professionals in both the planning and legal worlds, so that we can counter this large company with top advice.
"The staunch support from the community is heartening and, although the council has yet to hear it, with all major political parties supporting us, I'm sure councillors are well aware of the defects in Patersons' Overburns application."
The group has members from a number of villages in rural Clydesdale including Lamington, Coulter and Biggar.
Its campaign has also received support from TV star Griff Rhys Jones as well as local MPs and MSPs from across the political divide.
National environmental bodies such as SEPA and the RSPB have also objected to the plans.
CRAG spokesman Arthur Bell said: "I've been involved in conservation projects since the 60s and in all that time I have never seen as bad a planning application as Overburns Quarry.
"At a time when climate change is at the top of the political agenda, and we have seen increasing rainfall with more frequent flooding of the Clyde, it would be a crazy act to allow this hole to be dug beside the river.
"National environmental bodies say they cannot support it and neither should our council. Studies show that we who live here are around 90 per cent against it and this is a democracy.
"Uniquely, Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and SNP MSPs and MPs have all expressed objections.
"Surely a cause that unites them all must be one that also unites councillors in opposition."
Flood of objections for Overburns pour in - Gazette 03 December 2009
Flood of objections for Overburns pour in
If the heavy stormclouds of the past week have any silver lining at all, it has been the public relations 'gift' they have handed to those fighting the plans to create a quarry at Overburns near Lamington.
The atrocious conditions have seen the area on the banks of the Clyde earmarked for the huge quarry badly flooded twice, prompting environmental campagners to claim that this just proves that it is totally unsuitable for such a development.
The flooding has also been seized upon by the local Member fo the Scottish Parliament to re-emphasise her opposition to the quarrying plan.
Photos of the extent of the flooding at Overburns, taken by a local farmer, have been passed onto the Clyde River Action Group, formed to oppose the quarrying scheme, soon to go before South Lanarkshire Council for planning pernission.
These pictures will be used as part of CRAG's body of evidence to the council to try to convince councillors to refuse permission.
One of the leading campaigners, local businessman Arthur Bell told the Gazette that the flooding just bolstered what was an already strong case for permission to be witheld.
He added that it also proved the claim that the environmental impact of the quarry would go on for many years, perhaps for generations.
He said: "The local community feels that this proposed quarry site would cause ecological hazards galore. With increasing rainfall brought on by global climate change, such floods at Overburns will increase even further, and you can forget a clean River Clyde for fifty years. We would not be forgiven by future generations.
"Children born this year would be grandparents before the river returned to its current state of clarity and purity of water.
Water place for a quarry...the floods at the Overburns site this week
(more images below)
"South Lanarkshire Council have already received strong objections from both SEPA and SNH, and I will be forwarding this evidence to both of them. We locals may not have the resources of a large company, like the planning applicants Patersons Quarries, but we live here and we do not want our magnificent countryside destroyed.
"There will be significant local economic loss too from the development, as fishermen, an estimated 10,000 a year, would certainly be absent, and that's to around the middle of this century!
"I am sure that commonsense will prevail and our councillors will reject the application."
And Clydesdale's MSP Karen Gillon commented: 'Further flooding at the proposed Overburns Quarry site strengthens the case for the opposition to the quarry plan.
"These further flooding incidents simply underline the fact that this is a completely unsuitable site for the development of a quarry. There is no doubt in my mind that a quarry on this location would compromise the integrity of the Clyde and threaten the ecological balance within the river, as well as having the potential to cause a very damaging environmental incident.
"I am convinced that common sense will prevail and South Lanarkshire Council will reject this ill-advised application."
AS SOLID AS A ROCK - Gazette 06 November 2009
AS SOLID AS A ROCK
Pressure group CRAG have officially lodged a letter of objection with the council regarding a proposed quarry, near Lamington.
The twenty one page document detailing the reasons why the new quarry at Overburns Farm should not go ahead was officially handed over after over three months of researching and planning.
CRAG chairwoman Caroline Parker said: "This is the most factual based letter of objection thanks to the work of planning consultants.
"It has been three months in the making. We have working on this even before the application went in.
"The support that we continue to receive has been phenomenal and all the research has shown that this type of application is not suitable for this area.
 Lot at stake...at Overburns Farm site"All the statutory bodies have refused to support the application and the economic benefit to the area is virtually zilch. Now the whole of South Lanarkshire has to stand up and say that we don't want this."
The application by Patersons Quarries to extract 4.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel over a 15 year period has caused outrage among those living in Lamington, Coulter and the surrounding area.
MP's and MSP's have put party politics to one side and have thrown their weight behind the campaign.
A recent survey from South of Scotland MSP Aileen Campbell suggested over 90 per cent' of residents were against the development.
Two weeks ago the Gazette reported that SEPA had also objected to the plans.
CRAG committee member Arthur Bell believes public opinion is with them.
He said: "The response we have had at every public meeting has been incredible. Well over 200 people attended the meeting in Biggar and there was standing room only at the Lamington and Coulter meetings.
"The knowledge people have brought has been very important to the campaign.
"Over 30 years ago a similar application was upheld by the old Clydesdale District Council because of the environmental damage it would have caused and nothing has changed in the area.
"It is now up to councillors to realise that this application is a danger to the local environment.
"Thousands of fish and birds will lose their habitat if these plans are allowed to go through."
Simon's burning with enthusiasm - Gazette 05 November 2009
Stunning scenery...at Overburns Farm is Simon's favourite spot to shoot Scotland in all its glory
Centre stage...is Simon Butterworth (below)
 Simon's burning with enthusiasm
Photographer Simon Butterworth is holding an exhibition to raise funds for local pressure group CRAG.
Simon, who lives just outside Biggar, will be showcasing some of his finest works at the Gillespie Centre on November 14.
The CRAG campaign, which aims to stop a quarry being built at Overburns Farm, is close to Simon's heart.
He said: "I've been taking pictures at Overburns for the last four or five years. It would be a nightmare if the quarry went ahead.
"I love the area and decided that I wanted to get involved and try and stop this quarry.
"The exhibition will feature various landscape pieces from around Scotland but there will also be quite a few from the location where the quarry is proposed.
"I try not to take standard views of places so hopefully people will enjoy looking at them."
Simon, a musician with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, was a first prize winner in the UK Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2008.
He was highly commended for two images and won the Paramo Award for Best Mountain picture.
Arthur Bell, from CRAG, said: "Simon is a tremendously talented individual. Every time I've seen his work I have been gobsmacked by the imagery.
"Simon has photographed some of the most beautiful places in the country.
"But he said that his favourite site is at Overburns.
"His images of the site are absolutely extrordinary."
Landscapes of Scotland: an exhibition of photographs by Simon Butterworth is at the Gillespie Centre in Biggar on Saturday, November 14, from 2pm.
The CRAG children's art contest winners will be announced at 5pm with refreshments from 6-8pm.
For more information visit ww.crag.uk.com.
Carluke & Lanark Gazette 5/11/09
Pupils: Meet Your River Clyde - Gazette 30 October 2009
Pupils: Meet Your River Clyde
 More than 100 school children pulled on their wellies for a practical lesson in science.
It was such a success that the Foundation is now seeking funding for other local schools.
By Helen McCall
29/10/09
Click on headline above or link below for the online story and pictures
Save the Clyde - Editor of Trout & Salmon magazine 25 October 2009
C O M M E N T
Save the Clyde
In early March this year a group of school children from Symington Primary School on the River Clyde gathered to release the trout fingerlings they had lovingly hatched and reared as part of "Clyde in the  Classroom", an initiative run by the Clyde River Foundation. This hands-on introduction to freshwater ecology uses the life cycle of the brown trout to encourage children to engage with and care for their local river and environment.
Imagine, then, on that very same day, in the neighbouring village of Lamington, one of Scotland's landfill and quarrying giants was to hold a poorly publicised public meeting to announce its "vision" for a huge quarry at Overburns Farm, Lamington, which would threaten not only those small trout and their offspring, but one of Scotland's most famous trout rivers.
Since that day, a planning application has been submitted to South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) for the proposed quarry which, if granted, will eat into the banks of the Clyde with potentially devastating ecological consequences.
It has also come to light that the company involved, Patterson’s of Greenoakhill [Glasgow), was named and shamed for one of the worst pollution performances in Scotland (The Sunday Herald, June 2009). Its landfill site at Greenoakhill was guilty of "repeated non-compliance with a number of permit conditions", according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
Patterson's plans to buy farmland that includes part of the banks of the River Clyde near Lamington and extract 4.6 million tons of sand and gravel over a 15-year period. The works could not only affect both the trout and grayling for which the Clyde is so famous but the salmon too, which have been making a significant, comeback in the lower reaches.
The very sand and gravel that Patterson's wishes to extract is key to the Clyde's ecosystem, acting as a natural filter for the river and making it one of the clearest in Scotland. Removing this on such a large scale and so close to the river will not only pollute the river below the site during excavation (not to mention the increased risk of damage when flooding occurs), but also it may have devastating consequences for many years after, au landfill may follow. Due to the timescale of the proposed extraction it is not inconceivable that Clyde fishermen - both local and visiting - could feel the impact, of this possible monstrosity for the rest of their fishing lives.
Understandably, there is a groundswell of objection, not only from fishermen but from farmers, residents, the local community and road users, who would also have to put up with significant congestion and noise pollution from up to 30,000 extra lorries per annum transporting the sand and gravel from the proposed site.
One objection comes from Edinburgh-based T&S contributor Robert Irvine, a regular Clyde fisher. Robert, a construction consultant, knows only too well what impact the quarry will have. "Having worked with construction companies in the past on projects such as the A74 upgrade (to motorway status), I have witnessed first-hand the impact on waterways such as the Water of Milk in Dumfriesshire, which was turned into a silty brown river for the duration of the project." He added: "This was farther away from the waterway than the proposed site on the Clyde".
Robert is not alone. In excess of 600 objections from different users, local community groups and bodies such as SANA (Scottish Anglers' National Association) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are said to have been submitted. A number of MPs, MSPs and MEPs have also objected to thy proposals, giving campaigners a glimmer of hope. But the Clyde is far from safe, and we need your immediate support to stop South Lanarkshire Council approving this ruinous application.
The Clyde River Action Group (CRAG) was formed to build opposition to the plans. Visit
www.crag.uk.com for details OR forward your objection to Donald Wilkins, South Lanarkshire
Council, Planning and Building Standards Headquarters, Almada Street, Hamilton ML30AA, Please keep a copy of your objection and send one either to CRAG or an elected representative for the area (details on CRAG website).
SEPA JOINS BATTLE - Gazette 24 October 2009
 SEPA JOINS BATTLE
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) hopes to block Paterson's Quarries' planning application to extract five million tonnes of sand and gravel from a site at Overburns Farm in Lamington over the next decade.
A SEPA spokeswoman lent her support to campaigners in a local action group, who are angry at an outsider trying to commercially exploit a beautiful environmental area.
The spokeswoman said: "The environmental statement received as part of the application does not address all significant environmental issues at this site.
"There are still uncertainties regarding the potential impacts of the proposed quarry on the water environment, in particular the River Clyde. Our main concerns focus on the potential adverse impact of the proposed quarry on the morphology of the River Clyde and the river morphological processes on the quarry in the future.
"Based on the information currently available to us, we object to this planning application on the grounds of lack of information. We will revisit our position once that additional information is submitted."
Burning issue...at Overburns Farm
Aileen Campbell, SNP MSP for South of Scotland, has spoken out against the proposals in Parliament, during a debate on rural housing.
She said: "I was interested to read that the committee believes that there is something of an inherent conservatism, and often a presumption against development on the part of rural planning authorities.
"That might come as a surprise to residents of Douglas, who face the development of a new opencast quarry in their area, and to the residents of Biggar, Lamington and the surrounding area, who are trying to stop plans for a sand and gravel quarry at Overburns Farm on the banks of the Clyde.
"There is scepticism about the number of jobs that such developments will generate, and there is genuine concern about the impact not just on the environment and the landscape, but on health, the roads and other infrastructure in the area.
"If too many such developments put people off the idea of moving to the countryside, or make rural areas less attractive places to live, then all the good work that is being done to improve housing supply will come to very little."
Aileen recently sent a copy of a local residents' survey showing massive opposition to the plans to Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham and Infrastructure Minister Stewart Stevenson.
The MSP said that recent developments especially the objection by SEPA should give local residents hope that South Lanarkshire Council would see sense when it came to making a decision on the Overburns application.
Aileen said: "SEPA are clearly not impressed by the information provided by Paterson's about the environmental impact of the proposal.
"It would be wise of South Lanarkshire Council to listen to the objections raised in my survey and in the huge number of individual objections it has received.
"The Council ran roughshod over local opinion in granting permission to the Mainshill development.
"It must not be allowed to get away with that again at Overburns."
By Craig Goldthorp
Carluke & Lanark Gazette
22/10/09
CRAG objects...formal submission to Council is lodged 14 October 2009 "To grant this planning application would, for the reasons stated ..., be unlawful, unreasonable and irrational."
Click HERE to read the letter in full or click on the link below SNH consultation response to Council 10 October 2009
SNH advise that that:
• The information currently available does not demonstrate that European protected species will not be affected by the development in ways contrary to the species protection elements of the Conservation (Natural habitats) Regulations 1994 (as amended). We therefore advise that this application should not be determined until such time as these issues are resolved.
• The application has the potential to give rise to regionally significant impacts on the ornithological interests of the site and its surroundings. We consider that this issue has not been subject to adequate assessment in the submitted ES and that further consideration should be given to this matter in order to fully inform the decision making process.
• The application has the potential to give rise to significant impacts on the River Clyde and its biota. We consider that this issue also has not been subject to adequate assessment in the submitted ES and that further consideration should be given to this matter in order to fully inform the decision making process.
• The landscape impacts of the proposal are likely to be greater than predicted in the ES.
• The proposed restoration measures will not provide the natural heritage benefits predicted in the ES and that they may in fact have potentially adverse impacts which are not considered.
To read the full response click on the link below
Horrendous plans, according to Griff - GAZETTE 09 October 2009
Griff supports CRAG stance
 TV comedian Griff Rhys Jones is lending his support to the Clyde River Action Group's (CRAG) campaign against a new quarry at Overburns Farm. Rhys Jones, who recently presented a programme on the rivers of Britain, believes the new quarry, to be built near the River Clyde, would have a huge environmental impact on the area surrounding the villages of Lamington, Coulter and Symington. He said: "This quarry sounds horrendous. The value of the landscape, its beauty, its amenity, its spiritual qualities are far, far more important than its commercial value. "The latter is short term. The former is long term and actually has a commercial value of its own. It's just that the Government can't value it. "Perhaps this gives you (CRAG) the opportunity to counter the developer's claims with an economic loss projection of your own."
Griff Rhys Jones made his name in the 1980's with a string of successful comedy shows such as Not The Nine O'clock News and Alas Smith and Jones. However, in recent years he has turned his attention to environmental projects. Coulter resident and CRAG spokesman Arthur Bell said: "Support of someone so nationally known and his concern to maintain the beauty of Britain, is a great boost for the campaign. "It shows the message of 'no quarry' is getting known across the whole country. "Such help shows the depth of environmental concern, and Mr Rhys Jones also rightly focuses on the potential economic losses.
"We know of several hotels, and many B&B's and rented cottages, that will lose regular business from walkers, birdwatchers and holiday makers. "That's not taking into account the business lost from 10,000 fishermen. "The economic fallout for the area will mean job losses."
Carluke & Lanark Gazette
8/10/09
'Good luck' message from Griff Rhys Jones
Click on link below for the authorised website for fans of Griff ... Mine Monitor 08 October 2009
Mine Monitor
Click on image below to read the monitor questions and multiple choice answers
 The public will have the chance to give their opinion on the councils local mineral plan through a' number of 'opinionmeters'.
Council officials are planning to replace the mineral plan, which was last updated in 2002.
And opinionmeters have been installed in a number of local community halls and supermarkets across Clydesdale to guage how mining operations affect local lives.
The results will be analysed and included in the Main Issues Report (MIR), which is due for publication in January.
The council's head of planning Michael McGlynn said: "Within South Lanarkshire, coal, sand, gravel and hard rock have been mined and extracted for more than a century and minerals continue to play an important role in the national and local economy.
"However, the need for these minerals must be measured against the potential impacts on local people, infrastructure and natural habitats caused by their extraction.
"The council is well aware of the impacts that mineral extraction can have on communities — both positive and negative.
"The purpose of the Minerals Local Development Plan is to balance these views to ensure that the interests and concerns of both communities and the minerals industry are fully considered."
The subject of mineral extraction in rural Clydesdale has been the subject of fierce debate over many years.
Since June demonstrators have been camped at Mainshill Wood, near Douglas, in protest over a new opencast mine due to be built there.
Richard Shaw, from Mainshill Solidarity Camp said: "Hopefully a lot of people will fill in the questionnaire and tell the council that they don't want any more open-casting or mineral extraction in this area.
"The levels of support for mineral extraction is low, particularly in areas like Douglas, and people now realise their health comes first.
"I hope as many people as possible let the council know their feelings as the health statistics are damning."
Villagers in and around Lamington have also been campaigning against plans for a new sand and gravel quarry at Overburns Farm, neighbouring the River Clyde.
Clyde River Action Group (CRAG) planning consultant Alistair Wood said: "News that the local plan is to be updated should be welcomed.
"In the document it says that mineral requirements throughout the whole of South Lanarkshire can be properly assessed, which means that scenic parts of the country can be given proper protection because of the rural scenic area such as the upper Clyde Valley.
"This process should have started earlier than this and it has taken a long time to do so but it has to be welcomed."
The opinionmeters will be at Abington Post Office, the Co-op in Biggar and St Brides Centre, Douglas from October 6 to 9.
From October 9 to 19 they will be installed at Lanark Library and Leadhills Store, in addition to the sites in Biggar and Douglas.
The Post Office in Rigside, Forth's Q&A, Forth, the Green Granary in Carstairs Village and the Q&A in Coalburn will then host the opinionmeters from October 21 to 30.By Ross Thomson
Carluke & Lanark Gazette
8/10/09
Click on image above to read the monitor questions and multiple choice answers
What do you think about the Mineral Plan Monitor ?
Are the questions appropriate to cover the whole issue meaningfully ?
What questions would you like to be asked ?
Do you think the community should be surveyed in this way ?
Can the machine provide an accurate picture of public opinion ?
Who should request and oversee the collation of such information ?
Is the machine reliable and can it be trusted to record what you enter into it ?
What happens to the the information retrieved by the machine ?
Will your answers be counted and make any difference to the final policy ?
What about local concerns particular to this area ?
If you want to comment on any of the above click HERE
HERE'S HOW TO GET YOUR OWN COPY OF THE DRAFT MINERALS PLAN
Newsletter and childrens art competition 07 October 2009 For all the latest news on the campaign progress, fundraising ceilidh and our art competition click on the link below for the CRAG October newsletter... and please pass it on to your family, friends and colleagues.
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