Quarry falls silent

Croy Quarry - Copyright Texas Radio and The Big Beat and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Croy Quarry fell silent for the final time on Hogmanay as over a century of works came to an end.

It was announced in 2013 that the quarry would close due to its proximity to the Antonine Wall, which had received World Heritage Status several years ago.

The site operators Aggregate Industries successfully applied for planning permission to continue mineral extraction until the end of 2017.

This was under the proviso they submitted to North Lamnarkshire Council a detailed plan of how they intended to restore the area.

Kilsyth councillor Mark Kerr is now calling on residents to step up to ensure quarry restoration benefits Croy.

He said: “As of December 31, Aggregate Industries no longer has planning permission to blast and extract any more minerals from Croy Quarry.

“This has been a long time coming and not soon enough to the residents of Croy. For over 100 years Croy has had a neighbour which now is bigger than the village itself, and I am looking forward to the next phase of the life of Croy quarry, its restoration.”

Councillor Kerr is looking to form a monitoring group to ensure Aggregate Industries return the site to that of a natural landmark suitable for the enjoyment of the village.

He said: “Once this group is formed we will sit down with Aggregate Industries and ensure that the village has a central role in the restoration plans and highlight issues that this will no doubt bring.”

Aggregate Industries has not responded to questions about the restoriation by the time the Kilsyth Chronicle went to press. However, the firm did meet with with the council last week where it outlined it is still working to finalise the remaining details of the restoration scheme, but is aiming to have the majority of the restoration works completed within the next year.