Hamble quarry: Parish council and residents to launch fresh legal challenge against Cemex's sand and gravel extraction plan
Residents are not going to accept a High Court ruling in favour of creating a quarry near their homes
A fresh legal fight has been launched to stop controversial quarry plans from going ahead.
Hamble Parish Council has vowed to challenge last week’s High Court ruling, which dismissed its case against Cemex’s proposed sand and gravel quarry at Hamble Airfield.
The council agreed at an extraordinary meeting this week to seek permission to appeal the decision, marking the latest twist in a long-running battle over the former airfield site.
It has instructed its legal team to apply for a 14-day extension, giving it more time to prepare and submit written grounds for an appeal.
The parish council said the High Court’s refusal of its Statutory Review challenge had been a setback, but insisted it would continue pursuing “all possible avenues” to stop what it describes as an unwanted and damaging development.
Conservative Hamble Valley MP Paul Holmes attended the meeting alongside representatives from the Hamble Peninsular Residents Group.
He said: “I attended the meeting with Hamble Parish Council to decide the next steps in this journey. The parish council made a commitment to fight all possible avenues to stop this unwanted and detrimental proposal.
“Hamble Parish should be congratulated for their action alongside the residents’ group, and they have my full support.”
The long-running campaign concerns plans by Cemex to extract sand and gravel from land at Hamble Airfield. This proposal has faced sustained opposition from the parish council and residents.
Hampshire County Council had initially refused permission for the quarry, but a planning inspector later overturned that decision and granted consent following an appeal when the authority withdrew its objections.
The parish council then launched a Statutory Review, arguing that the inspector’s decision should be quashed.
The case was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in June this year, where the council claimed the inspector had failed to properly carry out their role during the 2025 appeal process. However, the High Court rejected the challenge last week.
In a statement, Hamble Parish Council thanked members of the residents’ group and Mr Holmes for attending the extraordinary meeting and backing the decision to press on.
It also thanked Cllr Keith House, leader of Eastleigh Borough Council, who offered support by email.
The council said: “We will continue to update you, as and when we have further information to share.”