Building materials company Brett submitted a planning application (P1251.24) for a quarry at Rainham Lodge Farm in September 2024.
A year on, the Recorder is looking into everything we know about the proposals at this stage, the reaction over the past 12 months, and what happens next.
The application was received by Havering Council on September 16, 2024, but had already been in the pipeline more than a year, passing through pre-application stage in 2023.
There had already been some opposition at this point, with a ‘No Quarry’ campaign group set up as early as 2022.
Almost nine months after Brett’s presentation to the council’s planning committee in December 2023, the full planning application was submitted, revealing more details of the proposal.
The applicant’s aim is to extract two million tonnes of sand and gravel from farmland off Berwick Pond Road, in Upminster, over the course of 20 years.
READ MORE: Rainham Lodge Farm set for sale to developer Taylor Wimpey
The site measures around 550,000 square metres, according to planning documents, and would be linked to the already active Rainham Quarry.
This means materials are proposed to be transported from Rainham Lodge Farm to Rainham Quarry along Berwick Pond Road and Launders Lane – at a rate of six HGV lorries per hour.
Once the consultation period for the application ended in November 2024, it became clear that there was huge public opposition to the quarry.
Almost 2,000 objections were submitted to the council, with only two supporting comments received.
Meanwhile, local campaign group – now called Say No To The Quarry – had gained more than 2,300 members on Facebook, and MPs Margaret Mullane and Julia Lopez had both urged the council to reject the plans.
Despite a decision initially expected by January 22, 2025, the application remains under review.
Havering Council previously told this paper it was “waiting for a date to be set” to discuss the proposal at a strategic planning committee meeting – but a date has yet to be confirmed.
Brett did not respond to our previous requests for comment.
Separately, Essex County Council is planning to sell part of Rainham Lodge Farm to Taylor Wimpey for potential housing development, pending planning permission.
