Saturday, 17 May 2025

Dolerite Dump Spotted Near Stonehenge

UPDATE: I'm informed that the heaps may not be planings as first reported, I hope to get a definite answer soon.

They seem to be soil and stone contaminated with roadside waste; plastic, glass, tarmac and dolerite chippings, and even the base of a traffic cone as can be seen in the photo.


Nick Bull has posted a picture on line of the road planings dumped on the Stonehenge drove to be used to improve it. The monument itself is a couple of hundred metres to the left of the photo.

Stonehenge Drove photo by Nick Bull

Recycled planings compact down to make great tracks so this might seem to be good news. 

But they are classified as waste so a waste exemption U1 must be applied for before they are used.

I haven't been able to find the one they are using here - https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-exemptions - which is connected to the general information about waste exemptions - including that you cannot apply for one  if  it may "adversely affect the countryside or places of special interest". https://www.gov.uk/guidance/choosing-waste-exemptions-for-waste-management-activity So I don't know what Environmental Impact Assessment has been performed.

So what might be the problem?

Road planings usually contain dolerite chips, if the quarry that they came from is Criggion Quarry, near Welshpool, spotted dolerite. It’s tough stuff, perfect for road surfacing.

But really spreading it around the landscape is nightmare for anyone studying the rocks of Stonehenge.


2 comments:

  1. Tim until my brother retired a couple of years ago, he was the longest-serving quarryman at Criggion...

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  2. There's U1 at top end of Byway 12. Postcode search SP4 8NU. Details here: https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/waste-exemptions/registration/WEX403436?__pageState=result-waste-exemptions

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