Latest on Cemex's Hamble Airfield quarry as residents vow to fight planning inspector's decision

In a Facebook post, Chris Jones said the council’s advisors are currently examining whether there are “arguable grounds” to challenge the inspector’s decision to grant planning permission to Cemex.

Earlier this month, planning inspector Stephen Normington upheld Cemex’s appeal to build a quarry at Hamble Airfield, overturning a previous refusal by Hampshire County Council.

Cemex’s proposal aims to extract 250,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the former airfield had originally been rejected

Residents, who have campaigned fiercely against the proposal for several years, said they were “disappointed” and “devastated” by the inspector’s decision.

However, the chair of the parish council had already warned that the decision would be carefully reviewed.

Now, Mr Jones has said that Hamble Airfield “never was and never will be the right place to build a quarry.

Mr Jones said: “The unavoidable big news this month is of course the Cemex decision.

“Hamble airfield never was and never will be the right place to build a quarry, is right in the middle of our village, but linking that to planning policy issues is tricky, and that’s exactly what the team from the residents group is being doing over the past few years and a Unrelenting work has got us where we are now.

“[A] couple of weeks ago, the inspector decided that our points were not more important than the overall need of gravel and sand, so he approved the quarry to proceed. If we don’t do something now the quarry will happen.”

Mr Jones added that the advisors are considering if there are points the inspector “might not have got quite right”, and whether these could be used as grounds to challenge the decision.

He added: “As the couple of areas and the points we raised, that he might not has got quite right and we still waiting to hear from our advisors whether those would be arguable grounds to challenge his decision.

“Alternatively, now might be the right time for us to start investing in time and technology and resources to try hold Cemex to account for all the promises that we’ve been given.

“More will follow over the coming weeks.”

The Hamble Airfield Quarry proposal has been one of the most controversial local planning issues in recent years, with residents expressing concerns about noise, traffic, air quality, and environmental impact.