CAMPAIGNERS in Compton Bassett are urging people to read up on the latest information submitted by Hills Quarry Products and to submit letters of objection to Wiltshire Council about their application to construct a large quarry and a mile-long conveyor belt for sand across the countryside.

Members of the Calne and District SOS group, set up to streamline villager's thoughts in the wake of the Freeth Farm application last year, have been emailing hundreds of people asking them to make their voice clear on the application by Thursday, which they argue will damage the surrounding area for many years to come.

Jennie Brooks of CDSOS said: "At the moment we are encouraging others to put further objection letters in following the new information that has come out from Hills' environmental report. We have now got until February 2 so we have been busy mail shotting lots of the people who had submitted letters last year in the hopes of encouraging them to support us again.

"If successful, this application could seriously impact on Calne and district for many years to come for all the reasons raised before: noise, pollution, damage to our environment and amenities."

When the group formed last August, more than 380 letters from villagers and national protest groups were submitted against the application, which should be discussed at the Strategic Planning Meeting in the second week of March.

So far more than 50 new objection letters have been submitted, which also call into question the plans to extend the current recycling facility in Lower Compton, heard at a public inquiry last year, which is due to resume soon.

The plans for both applications can be viewed via the Wiltshire Council planning portal using the references 16/05464 and 16/05708.

A spokesman for Hills Waste said: "Planning permission for the extraction of sand on part of Freeth Farm was granted in 1956 and we are seeking to agree modern planning conditions (application 16/05464).  As part of the process a planning application ( application 16/05708) has been submitted to remove the sand via a covered conveyor system, rather than using dump trucks as proposed in the original planning permission. 

"Regarding the Lower Compton planning appeal hearing (PINS ref APP/3940/W/15/3139189), following a Regulation 22 request by the planning inspector, Hills Waste Solutions submitted updated information which was subject to a consultation period which ended on  January 5.   

"We look forward to the outcome of the planning appeal hearing which commences on February 21."