ABSTRACT

The establishment of a large quarrying operation almost invariably attracts controversy because of its location: in order to serve the market, it generally has to be situated in a semi-rural area, yet close to urban centres. It represents a major industrial impact on the local landscape and is resented accordingly by the existing residents, who can see little advantage to themselves-and much inconvenience over an indefinite period-arising out of the development. Much of this opposition is misinformed, or based on observations of derelict extractive sites abandoned decades previously, with no attempt at (or requirement for) pit rehabilitation. Paradoxically, where rehabilitation is most successful, the former quarry sites cannot be recognized as such by the public, while examples of dereliction are immediately obvious.