Fluorspar Quarrying to Resume on Longstone Edge
When Glebe Mines shut down their quarrying operations on Longstone Edge last year, we hoped that this represented the end of fluorspar quarrying in the Peak District National Park. However, quarrying is about to resume.
A company called Cavendish Minerals bought Glebe Mines on 5 September, and another company called Fluorspar UK has been set up to trade fluorspar. It is expected that fluorspar processing at Cavendish Mill will resume in the New Year.
Fluorspar will be sourced from a number of places, including the existing Deep Rake quarry on Longstone Edge, Tearsall near Darley Dale and the underground Milldam Mine at Great Hucklow.
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Longstone Edge is a beautiful three-mile-long ancient limestone ridge in the Peak District National Park, prominently situated within sight of Chatsworth House and Bakewell, which has been suffering destruction by limestone quarrying.
The photo above, taken on 15 September 2008, shows the extent of the destruction. Grass and trees have been cleared on either side so the quarry can be expanded - subsequently this too was quarried. Fortunately legal action has now terminated this quarrying, by the eyesore remains. (Click on the photo for a larger image, and here to compare with earlier photos.)
A legal battle has raged for years over the meaning of a 1952 mineral extraction permission. In March 2009 the Court of Appeal decided in favour of the Peak Park and the Government, hopefully opening the way to the long-term protection of Longstone Edge.
A massive scar has been created in the heart of unspoilt scenery in the second most-visited national park in the world. Long-term situation is still unclear, as there are still valid mineral extraction licences.
For a quick introduction to the problem,
click here and view our video ...
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Video produced by Active Image Ltd.
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