Councillors unanimously approved plans to extend the operational life of a quarry at Hall Farm on Stanfield Road, Wymondham, at a planning meeting on 31 March 2026.

The application was a hybrid submission, combining full planning permission for a new Aggregate Recovery Facility (ARF) with a request to vary conditions on an existing permission dating back to 2013. The changes allow the quarry to continue operating and extend the timeline for restoring the land back to agricultural use.

A new operator has taken over the site and made changes to plant equipment, which required a retrospective planning application. There are no changes proposed to the original restoration scheme for the land.

Planning officers told the committee that the ARF would help supply recycled aggregate to the market and support on-site restoration work. With little mineral left to extract, the facility is intended to keep the restoration programme on track within the six-year timeframe.

The council will carry out quarterly monitoring visits to check compliance with planning conditions, including controls on dust and the importation of aggregate to the site. Topsoil for the eventual restoration has been retained on site throughout the extraction process.

Officers said that if the ARF application had been refused, enforcement action — potentially including a completion notice — would have followed. The operator is also a member of the Mineral Product Association, which holds its own restoration guarantee fund as an additional safeguard.

The committee delegated authority to the Lead Director for Communities and Environment to grant permission and handle any minor amendments to the application.