Big backlash over new plan by Cemex to extract sand and gravel at Midgham Farm, near Fordingbridge

PLANS for a new quarry near Fordingbridge are moving forward – but concerns have been raised over noise, dust and the effect on wildlife.

Cemex has submitted a new planning application to Hampshire County Council and Dorset Council to extract sand and gravel at Midgham Farm, writes Natalia Forero.

This is because 99% of the land lies within Hampshire, and a “thin strip” of land along the western site boundary, around 0.77 hectares, sits within Dorset.

The application site area is 88.53 hectares of agricultural land around 2km south-west of Fordingbridge. It also lies immediately north-east of Cemex’s existing Hamer Warren Quarry and around 2.7km east of the New Forest National Park.

A previous application submitted to Dorset Council in March 2023 by Dudsbury Homes aimed to build a mixed-use development with up to 1,700 homes and community spaces. However, the application was refused in July 2023. An appeal was lodged, but dismissed in September 2024.

The proposed quarry at Midgham Farm would be a follow-on site from Hamer Warren Quarry, which is set to close in around four years.

If granted permission, Midgham quarry would release about 3.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel over roughly 15 years, at a rate of up to 250,000 tonnes annually.

Access, internal haul roads, a processing plant, silt and freshwater lagoons, stockpiles, conveyors, offices, a weighbridge, and other infrastructure are proposed to be built.

After all extraction phases are finished, the site would be restored to a mixture of agriculture and nature conservation.

If approved, the quarry will be open Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.

It is estimated that up to 45 loads of aggregate would leave each day, resulting in 90 lorries to and from the site in 24 hours.

Cemex has launched two public exhibitions, a community webpage and meetings with North Dorset MP Simon Hoare and Lyndhurst and Fordingbridge’s Conservative county councillor Edward Heron.

Around 100 responses were received from residents.

The company said the main concerns raised during the consultation were highways, access and transport. Other “notable” issues raised included queries over noise and dust, impacts on wildlife and biodiversity and loss of agricultural land.

Hampshire County Council’s public consultation will be open until 28th February. Comments can be submitted via the county council’s website.