Environmentalists have welcomed the rejection in court of an attempt to create Britain's biggest quarry in the Western Isles. A French multi-national's bid to excavate the so-called 'superquarry' at Lingerbay on Harris was refused at the Court of Session. But a second case against involving a 10-year-old planning application for the same site has still to be determined.  Lafarge Aggregates' attempt to construct the quarry on the west coast is Scotland's longest-running planning dispute, dating back to 1991.
It wanted to build a 600-hectare quarry on the Western Isles, but in 2001 the Scottish Executive ruled that it should be a maximum of five hectares.  The company was appealing that decision to limit the quarrying area on the national scenic area of the Roineabhal mountain, near Lingerbay.
Advertisement