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Bobbie Millar received funding in 2003 to look into the future use of disused quarries. She has studied schemes carried out by numerous organisations and is now bringing together suggestions from the community regarding the future use of Threshfield Quarry should Tarmac pull out of it and concentrate their business in this area at Swinden Quarry.
Since the initial funding she has had further assistance in the work she has already done from Natural England and this group is part of a DEFRA funded community partnership.
Although the expertise of Leeds University is used whenever possible, she has put out tenders for specialist help and Stephen’s company won this one. Atkins is a world wide company with a £1.6bn turnover and 16,800 professional staff!
Bobbie has looked at schemes which involved numerous ideas such as residences, craft workshops, performance areas (including using the rocks to make musical sounds), and exhibitions.
There will be a book coming out in April called ‘The Naked Quarry’.
The first phase of Stephen’s involvement included :
1. Constraints and barriers
2. Broad feasibility
His involvement will always be to get the Quarry Project off the ground rather than come up with specific and exactly costed ideas. He is there to put ideas forward for detailed consideration by the appropriate people.
Stephen said the quarry can be divided into four areas :
1. The largest which will be left to regenerate naturally - well almost naturally as he put in a guestimate of £1.5m for the projected costs of soil and other work which may be necessary in order to encourage a natural regeneration.
2. Another area which could be used for ‘business units’. Guestimate £3-6m.
3. A third area would be available for the Yorkshire Dales Landscape Research Trust’s proposals (guestimate of £5m) and ‘Cultural Industries’ (another £5m).
4. Finally, but importantly, the fourth area could be used for housing. This housing would be created as a Community Land Trust which would mean that it was owned by the community and was ‘out of the market’. The receipts from this would be a great help in ensuring the project could continue without running short of money.
Their total ‘guestimates’ for the development and regeneration of the area amount to £18.5m but they compared this to a quarry which is now almost fully developed (in Cornwall) and which will probably have cost £22m by the time it is finished.
It seemed to me that one of their main suggestions at this time is for the creation of an amphitheatre in the oldest (and smallest) of the quarries. Both Bobbie and Stephen were certain that the small quarry should work well as an outdoor performance space although Bobbie is hoping to visit Epidauros to check their acoustics this summer. However tests they had already carried out showed acoustics would probably be OK but may need some enhancement. It would not be used for performances ‘every day of the week by any means’ and they thought possibly 75/80 days a year with the amphitheatre being used as a community resource at other times (for any other use you could think of, such as weddings) with Bobbie stressing the wonderful long view down the valley which would be visible if the quarry was landscaped in this way. There would have to be some sort of shelter created to cover the seating etc. due to our rainfall (and which would obviously also be visible from all the way up the valley!)
They had put parking for 300 vehicles in their plan but this would most probably have to be extended if they had a performing space capable of seating a possible 1,000 people (their projected size). Obviously other facilities are essential such as toilets, crèche, café and meeting rooms.
Opera North had been approached by Bobbie and have received the idea enthusiastically. She said it was likely they would wish to become involved if the acoustics were good and the stone did create an exciting ‘limestone theatre’. She is still having talks with them.
Mention was made of the ‘geological/archaeological’ centre which has been suggested by the YDLRT [see the Meeting report 1st February 2008] with its ‘Limestone Landscape Visitors Centre and research and exhibition facilities’, together with the creation of a habitat to protect threatened species (such as the British Crayfish) which may make use of the waterfall which flows (only in winter!)
Bobbie said it was vitally important that any decisions made could create an economy which would maintain the space without the need to seek grants in future years. Anything built here (in the natural stone, of course) would last for the next hundred plus years and so there would have to be adequate sources of income to ensure the community could continue ad infinitum.
Work would have to be done by Tarmac before they left the quarry to ensure its stability and the future safety of visitors etc.
They had little to say about the National Park Authority (who is not willing to get involved at this stage), but they said Craven District Council had expressed a desire to increase employment by business development here.
They had tried to find out what local groups thought to some of their ideas but had a poor response with only 31% replying (16 in number). They admitted this was a small sample but said that they had received much support for this ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to introduce something to this part of the Yorkshire Dales with minimal disturbance, and which would take away some of the pressure from the more visited areas. They admitted there was some concern about whether it was a good idea because of the increased traffic on minor roads, light and noise pollution and the concentration of investment in a comparatively small area. Support covered increased jobs with new cultural and educational facilities which would raise the profile of the area.
They are talking with Yorkshire Forward and the Park Authority and working with Craven District Council. Their financial support from Natural England ends this week but they are forming an Interim Steering Group to put bids in for more money and hope to get funding for a further two and a half years.
Pauline Dodsworth
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