Gallaghers Aggregates has been on a mission to win over opponents of the company’s plans for a massive extension of its ragstone quarry operation.

The firm has responded to a “Call for Sites” by Kent County Council, which is looking to draw up a new Kent Waste and Minerals Plan, suggesting that a predicted shortfall in hard rock provision could be met by expanding its Hermitage Quarry, off Hermitage Lane, in Aylesford.

The firm says that a 96-hectare extension of the site could allow a further 20m tonnes of ragstone to be quarried there over the next 16 years.

The suggestion has been met by a chorus of disapproval, with opponents to the expansion particularly concerned at the loss of open farmland and the damage that would result to Oaken Wood, an area of plantation ancient woodland.

The national charity, the Woodland Trust, organised an online petition against the expansion, which attracted more than 25,000 signatures, but there have been plenty of more local opponents too. A public consultation by KCC attracted over 100 responses and a 500-signature petition.

Last Wednesday, Gallagher’s managing director, Sean Connor, invited two of the objectors to the site to see the operation for themselves.

Stuart Jeffery, the leader of the Maidstone Green Party, and Rachel Rodwell have both campaigned against the extension, with Ms Rodwell even writing a protest song against the scheme, reminiscent of the folk songs of the 1960s.

Cllr Jeffery said: “I was impressed by the recycling element of the business. That aspect is a really good operation.”

But he was less impressed when he challenged Mr Connor on the use that the quarried ragstone is put to.

He said: “They take out nearly 1m tons of rock each year.

“The company always talks up how the ragstone is important for our heritage and is used for restoring old buildings. Mr Connor even mentioned the Tower of London to us.

“But when I pinned him down on how much of the rock is put to that use, the answer was disappointing.

”Only, 25,000 tons is quarried as dimensional stone, of which 15,000 tons goes to new build property and only 10,000 tons to heritage restoration – that’s about 1%.

“The vast majority – nearly 98% – is ground up and used for roadstone.

“Gallaghers acknowledges that it has seven years’ supply left at its current site at the current rate of extraction. The maths suggest that if the ragstone were only used for heritage purposes, the existing site would last another 700 years.”

Ms Rodwell said: “I was grateful Gallaghers made time for our visit. It was certainly very informative. They worked very hard to tell us about all the good things they do, recycling, their charity work and so on.

“They were very amenable, but the language was very considered. For example, Mr Connor always referred to a ‘continuation’’ of the quarry, not an ‘expansion’

“At the end of the day, I really don’t think they understood the issues.

“Ancient woodland soils are very finely balanced. You can’t just scoop them up and move them around without breaking down the living components.

“Then there is the effect on wildlife. What happens to that when the trees are pulled down?

“Like Stuart, I was astounded to learn that the ancient woodland will be sacrificed almost entirely for crushed rock to build roads. We are in the middle of an ecological emergency – this has to stop.”

Another opponent of the extension was also given a tour. Newly elected KCC member for Maidstone Central Division Cllr Chris Passmore (Lib Dem) visited on July 27.

He said: “Gallaghers is a good business. There’s no doubt about that. They’re very focused, run a good ship and have strong staff loyalty. I think they also want to be good neighbours.

“Mr Connor has a clear vision of what he wants Gallaghers to do and has prepared some cogent arguments

“Their innovation in trying to market new products using recycled material is commendable.

“But when it comes to the extension and the potential damage to the ancient woodland, I was not convinced

“The firm says it carefully removes the topsoil, preserves it, then after filling in the void with waste, restores the topsoil and replants on it.

“I’m not an expert, but it seems to me that even moving the ancient woodland soil will damage it. When I was shown the replanted area, I noticed that a number of the trees were dead.

“I remain opposed to the extension. It will result in the destruction of an area of nature, which local people have enjoyed and benefited from for many years.

“It will result in the destruction of soils from a designated Plantation on Ancient Woodland System, which cannot be shown to recover once it has been excavated – it is a living soil which will be killed when removed.

“Then there is the cumulative impact of ever more development along the A20 corridor.

“People have put up with enough here already.”

Mr Connor, of Gallagher Aggregates said: "Over the past 33 years of operation, we consider ourselves a good neighbour and a Kent family business with deep roots in the community.

“We already have great relationships with many local stakeholders, but over the past few months we have been encouraging neighbours, parish councillors, MPs, community groups and other local organisations to visit Hermitage Quarry.

“This is so people can meet us face to face for a wider discussion and open dialogue on our proposals, whether this is within the statutory public consultation period or not.

“We have been taking the time to show people what we do and how we do it, allowing them the opportunity to ask questions about the local plan process and what the potential for a continuation of quarrying looks like.

"It is important to us that people understand the quarry, the location, the social and economic impacts and importantly how we are custodians of the land that we quarry and respectfully restore.”

Focus on the facts, not hearsay

“These visits aren't designed to change opinion, but rather focus on ensuring the facts are presented and there is a clear understanding of our overall business rather than opinions being made based on headlines or hearsay."

If people wish to view the area for themselves, the Green Party has arranged a walking tour of Oaken Wood to start from the car park of the Redstart pub in North Street, Barming, leaving at 10am on Saturday August 19. The walk will take around two hours. All welcome.