Following submission of a planning application by PDE Consulting Limited (PDE), on 20 December 2023 Suffolk County Council (SCC) issued planning permission for a western extension to Cavenham Quarry for the extraction, processing, sale and distribution of sand and gravel and subsequent restoration using inert materials on land at Cavenham Quarry.

Following the receipt of pre-application advice, on 03 May 2024 PDE submitted an application to the Environment Agency (EA) on behalf of Allen Newport Limited, to vary their environmental permit to add mining waste lagoons and two new discharge locations for quarry dewatering, consistent with the planning permission. The new discharge locations had been agreed with the EA and Natural England as part of the planning application process. The dewatering permits (abstraction licences) which relate to the discharge points were issued earlier in the year by a separate department at the EA.

The application was not allocated to an EA officer for determination until 02 December 2025 and it was subsequently duly made on 21 January 2026.

The application was poorly handled by the EA from start to finish, however a permit variation was finally issued on 23 October 2026. The total determination period for this relatively simple application was 30 months.

Since the abstraction and discharge permit applications were submitted for Cavenham Quarry, the EA has launched a team to manage dewatering permissions, which according to them will provide a ‘better customer experience’. Applications for water abstractions and water discharge permits will be determined by one central team. We do not know as yet if this process is actually proving to be more efficient. However, it is understood that the Minerals Products Association (MPA) recently facilitated a site visit for the dewatering team to visit an active quarry to help them understand the processes to be permitted by their team.

Following submission of an application by PDE Consulting Limited (PDE), on 18 February 2025 North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) issued Planning Permission for the erection and operation of an asphalt plant and road planings recycling facility, ancillary facilities and access on land at Neilson Rail Sidings, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN8 4BH.

With the planning permission secured, PDE has been busy applying for a number of environmental consents required for the facility to operate, from NNC and the Environment Agency (EA).

On 27 February 2026, PDE submitted an application to NNC for a Part B permit for the operation of the asphalt plant. The permit was issued on 08 October 2026.

On 28 April 2026, PDE submitted an application to the EA for a Flood Risk Activity Permit to allow the installation of an outfall for surface water to the River Isle. The permit was issued on 14 August 2026.

In addition, the EA has duly made a waste operation permit for the crushing and screening of road plannings within a building as feed material for the asphalt plant. The EA has also duly made an application for a discharge consent.

In terms of annual production the asphalt plant is forecast to produce around 400,000 tonnes per annum of asphalt, which will be supported by the road planings recycling facility which is expected to receive 200,000 tonnes of planings per annum for recycling.

PDE Consulting Limited (PDE) recently submitted a planning application to Essex County Council (ECC) on behalf of Sewells Reservoir Construction Limited (SRC) seeking to vary conditions 3 and 4 attached to planning permission reference ESS/01/18/CHL relating to land at Sheepcotes Farm, Little Waltham, Essex. The planning application was submitted following a review of the remaining mineral reserves within the site which determined that it would not be possible to complete mineral extraction and restoration within the previously anticipated timescales.

Planning permission was granted by ECC on 02 October 2026.

The grant of planning permission allows SRC to continue mineral extraction and restoration activities for an additional two years beyond the previously permitted end date enabling the remaining aggregates to be extracted in full prior to restoration of the site to an agricultural reservoir in full accordance with the previously approved restoration scheme.

Following the submission of a planning application by PDE Consulting Limited (PDE), in March 2026 Suffolk County Council granted planning permission for the erection and use of a concrete batching plant (CBP) and associated infrastructure, together with the installation of a weighbridge and associated office on land at Cavenham Quarry, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

With the planning permission secured, PDE submitted an application for a Part B permit to West Suffolk Council on 31 March 2026 to allow operation of the CBP. The Part B permit was issued on 04 September 2026.

The granting of the Part B permit allows SRC Readymix Limited to supply the CBP with aggregate from the consented recycling and mineral extraction operations taking place within the wider quarry, with the plant forecast to produce 50,000 m³ of concrete per annum.

PDE Consulting Limited (PDE) were commissioned by Allen Newport Limited (ANL) to prepare and submit to the Environment Agency (EA) an application to vary their permit for the waste operations undertaken at Marston’s Pit, in Tuddenham, Suffolk.

The existing permit authorises inert landfill, recycling, mining waste activities and a discharge consent.

Following the receipt of pre-application advice, an application was submitted on 10 January 2024 to add a soils washing plant to the permitted activities, add waste codes to the existing recycling activity and to allow the residues from the soils washing plant (silt coded as 19 02 06) to be added to the permitted wastes for inert landfill.

The application was picked up by an officer in July 2024 who asked a few questions and then returned the application to the queue without validating or duly making it. It was then picked up twelve months later in July 2025 by another officer, who undertook various checks and asked further questions, and the application was finally duly made in November 2025.

In December 2025, the application was assigned to a third officer who was to complete the determination. Due to the age of the application at this point, various additional information was required, including a revision to the Noise Impact Assessment (NIA) and Noise Management Plan (NMP) due to the noise software having been updated during the period the application had sat with the EA.

The EA requested a second application to be submitted (minor variation) to allow the addition of two waste codes to the existing physical treatment activity as due to the passage of time, it was no longer considered to be covered by the January 2024 application. The second application was submitted on 24 November 2025. The EA advised that this second application would be linked to the wash plant application, however it was determined separately.

The final consolidated permit for the soil washing plant with residues to inert landfill (V005) was received on 10 September 2026 and the total determination period was 32.5 months. This permit was then immediately superseded by a further full consolidated permit (V008) to add the two waste codes to the physical treatment activity.

Permit V007 was an EA led variation to fix a condition numbering error, and V006 is an outstanding application submitted in May 2024 to add further mining waste lagoons and discharges to the permitted activities.

PDE Consulting Limited (PDE) were commissioned by FM Conway Limited (FMC) to prepare and submit to the Environment Agency (EA) an application for an environmental permit for their Site in Newhaven in East Sussex.  The application was for a bespoke installation permit to authorise the storage and treatment of road planings.

The Site will act as a processing hub for planings removed from roads within the region.  Non-hazardous asphalt road planings (EWC code 17 03 02) will be stored and treated by crushing and / or screening to produce Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP).  The RAP will subsequently be used in the adjacent asphalt manufacturing process, also operated by the Operator under a Part B permit issued by the local council, or transferred off-site for re-use elsewhere.

The processing of asphalt planings is an increasingly important consideration for many asphalt manufacturers with industry practice moving towards increased sustainability.  By utilising recycled planings within asphalt production, manufacturers are able to produce a more sustainable final product, reducing the waste arising from road resurfacing projects, when compared to asphalt mixes which use 100% virgin materials.

Road planings containing coal tar (EWC code 17 03 01*) will be segregated and temporarily stored in a covered bay before being transported off Site for recovery / disposal only.

The application was submitted on 15 May 2025 and the final permit was issued on 28 July 2026.  There were delays in issue of the final permit due to the initial draft containing many errors, and subsequently multiple drafts and discussions with the EA were required for the Operator to be content with the final permit conditions.

PDE recently submitted a Section 73 application to Essex County Council on behalf of Sewells Reservoir Construction Limited (SRC) seeking to vary conditions 3 and 4 attached to planning permission reference ESS/01/18/CHL relating to land at Sheepcotes Farm, Little Waltham, Essex.  The existing permission allows for the construction of an agricultural reservoir involving the extraction, processing and exportation of sand and gravel and soils.  The variation of conditions 3 and 4 will allow SRC an additional two years to continue the existing mineral extraction operations prior to the restoration of the site to an agricultural reservoir. 

The application was validated by Essex County Council on 16 July 2026.

Should planning permission be granted it will enable the remaining aggregates to be extracted in full, avoiding the sterilisation of mineral which would occur if the remaining aggregates were left in situ.  This will allow the agricultural reservoir to be constructed in full accordance with the previously approved restoration scheme.

PDE Consulting Limited (PDE) were commissioned by Fortis IBA Limited (Fortis) to prepare and submit to the Environment Agency (EA) an application to vary an environmental permit for the A303 Enviropark, Drayton Road, Barton Stacey, Andover, Hampshire, SO21 3QS.  The bespoke installation permit allows the storage and treatment of Incinerator Bottom Ash (IBA) to create IBA Aggregate (IBAA).

The proposals included the deconstruction and removal of the existing IBA processing plant and the construction of an upgraded, replacement plant (replant) within the current permit boundary.  As well as a new, enhanced IBA recovery facility to be located within an eastern extension area, outside the current permit boundary.

The replant will be operated within a generally enclosed building for improved environmental management.  A loading shovel will feed the IBA into a feed hopper,  which will allow the IBA to flow through a number of conveyors, screens and separation processes to remove the ferrous and non-ferrous metals.  Any oversize material will be crushed (within the replant building) and re-fed back into the process.  A picking station will improve the recovery of any remaining metals.  The residual material from each of the fractions produced forms the IBAA.  The non-ferrous fraction will be transferred onsite to be further refined in the adjacent, enhanced IBA recovery facility.

The enhanced IBA recovery facility will take place within a fully enclosed building, comprising a material receipt and storage area, dry and wet separation plants and finished products storage area.  The imported feed material (screened IBA / non-ferrous fraction) to the enhanced IBA recovery facility will comprise fine and coarse fraction sizes.  The finer feed material will be processed through a dry separation plant, including various conveying and screening processes, using specialist de-dusting extraction equipment to liberate metals and maximise IBA recovery.  The coarser feed material will be processed through a wet separation plant.  The material is washed and the water removed via a de-watering screen.  This water is recycled within a closed loop system, with water being stored in tanks within the building.  Recovered IBA residue will be returned to the adjacent IBA recycling site for use in IBAA.  The recovered metals from the enhanced IBA recovery facility are then ready for export and onward recycling.

The application was submitted on 19 September 2025.  It was duly made as of 04 December 2025.  The EA did not have the need to issue any Schedule 5 notices during the review period.  The final permit was issued on 13 July 2026.  The timescale for the permit being assigned for duly making, subsequently being assigned for determination, and issue of the final permit (total determination period just under ten months), was a distinct improvement on EA performance over the past few years especially for a complex application of this type.

PDE recently submitted a planning application to Essex County Council (ECC) on behalf of G&B Finch Limited to allow for a southern extension to Asheldham quarry for the extraction, processing, sale and distribution of sand and gravel with subsequent restoration using inert materials.

Alongside this application PDE also submitted two section 73 applications seeking the variation of conditions attached to extant permissions at the quarry to allow for the continuation of existing operations in line with the timescales for the working and restoration of the southern extension. An amendment was also made to the approved quarry phasing to reflect a delay to the restoration of the plant site and water management lagoons which is required whilst the southern extension is worked and restored.

We are pleased to announce that on 26 June 2026 ECC’s Development and Regulation Committee voted unanimously in favour of the officer’s recommendation for approval for all three applications, subject to conditions and a deed of variation to the existing Section 106 Agreement. This this is great news for G&B Finch as the southern extension allows the release of much needed aggregate reserves to support local development and supports continued employment at the quarry.

Following completion of mineral extraction the extension area will be restored back to agricultural land and will deliver significant biodiversity net gain through tree and hedgerow planting and enhanced agricultural margins. This will complement the approved restoration for the wider quarry which seeks to deliver a mosaic of habitats and enhanced public access, benefitting the local community.

On behalf of Allen Newport Limited, PDE have successfully renewed the groundwater abstraction licence for Marston’s Pit located on Cavenham Road, Tuddenham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6SE.

The renewed licence allows the continued use of abstracted groundwater for mineral washing and the addition of soils washing to the permitted activities. Following the receipt of pre-application advice, the application was submitted in January 2024. With the application being passed between three Environment Agency (EA) officers, the renewed licence was issued on 28 May 2026, with the determination period lasting over 29 months.

Rather than extend the boundary of the existing dewatering licence, the EA required two additional applications to allow for dewatering activities to be undertaken in an extension to the quarry. The two new applications were submitted in December 2024 and April 2025, and the licences issued on 28 May 2026.

The date of expiry of all three licences is 31 March 2030.