Nine Ladies protest site - in Court Thursday

[tliouk]

The Nine Ladies protest site. Set up in 1999 to stop a proposed 
3.2million tonnes being extracted from the beautiful and historically 
important Peak District National Park. The camp is about to be 
evicted allowing the destruction of 30 hectares of land. Papers were 
served on Monday 19th Jan, and they are in court for a possession 
order on Thursday. People urgently needed to sort out defences, and 
to be there if eviction follows shortly after. Climbers have and are 
being approached. New site number - 07005942212 

On 12 December 2003 Stancliffe Stone, a subsidiary of Marshalls PLC 
submitted a scheme for working the quarries at Endcliffe and Lees 
Cross to the Peak District National Park Authority, PDNPA. They want 
to extract 3.2 million tons of rock from a 12.95 hectare site within 
100m of the Nine Ladies Stone Circle. The resultant scar will be 100m 
deep, devastating the environment of this treasured site for ever.
 

Background info 
The 4000 year old Iron Age Stone Circle, Nine Ladies, has over the 
20th Century been threatened by quarrying. Lees Cross and Endcliffe 
are old dormant quarries lying on the eastern moorside near the 
stones. 

1952: Stancliffe Obtains Lease of Mineral Rights to Endcliffe and 
Lees Cross Quarries from landowner, the Duke of Rutland, Haddon Hall. 
The Quarries are given planning consent because of the pressing need 
for postwar building materials. 

1995: Under the environment act Lees Cross and Endcliffe are declared 
dormant (inactive). The operator is NOT allowed to work a dormant 
quarry unless working practices have been agreed with the PDNPA. 
Stancliffe is given time to disagree with this decision and does not 
do so. 
1999: Stancliffe make a submission to agree working practices and 
reopen the quarries. The submission meets widespread opposition and 
is cannot considered because the environmental impact assessment is 
not adequate. Nine Ladies Anti-Quarry Campaign, a protest site 
situated in the quarries themselves is set up. 

2001: Stancliffe is bought out by the much larger Marshalls PLC 

2003: Marshalls submit a new scheme for working, with the necessary 
paperwork, to reopen the quarries and extract 3.2 million tons of 
rock. If the PDNPA revokes the existing consent, they may be liable 
compensation equal to the market value of the stone. There is no way 
the authority can come up with this sum which could be more than £100 
million. 

Lees Cross and Endliffe are dormant quarries 
Marshalls have hired a barrister to claim that the quarries should be 
classed as active. Even though this is blatantly untrue, if this view 
was upheld in law the PDNPA would be restricted in what working 
conditions it could impose on the quarry. 

As part of the Lease agreement, the landowner, Lord Edward Manners, 
receives £30 for each ton of rock extracted. If the quarry goes ahead 
Haddon Hall will make around £100 million. 

This raises a serious question: As an example of British aristocracy, 
should the Duke of Rutland, pocket £100m for sitting back and letting 
the land around this ancient site be destroyed? Or as a Landowner, 
should he bite the bullet and protect the land that he owns? We leave 
you to make your own mind up 

Write to : DEFRA Helpline 
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
3-8 Whitehall Place 
London 
SW1A 2HH 

Lord Edward Manners 
Haddon Hall 
Bakewell 
Debys 
De45 1La 


Visit/Contact Nine Ladies anti-quarry campaign, Lees Road, Stanton 
Lees, MATLOCK, Derbyshire, DE4 2LQ Tel: 0700 5942212