VILLAGERS have slammed proposals to create four quarries and develop hundreds of homes in a tranquil Dorset community.

Residents of Moreton have said the plans, which could see four quarries totalling 150 hectares and the construction of 900 homes, are “crazy and “ridiculous” and would “completely destroy and ruin” the village community, whose churchyard is the resting place of military hero T.E. Lawrence, known as Lawrence of Arabia.

The quarry plans are part of a county-wide consultation led by Dorset County Council to identify mineral extraction sites.

Twenty-five sites have been suggested as part of the consultation, but not all will go ahead. DCC has prepared plans for three separate sites housing four quarries in Moreton.

One could be up to 77.6 hectares in size off Station Road, one which could be 58.5 hectares in size off Station Road and another could be 14 hectares in size off Hurst Farm.

Proposals to build 900 homes in the area are also being formulated.

Purbeck District Council has asked landowners if they want to sell off any land for a development. The homes would help achieve the district council’s quota of 2,500 new homes as part of the local plan.

Land off Woodsford Lane, Moreton, has been suggested as the site, but the council said no decision had been made and no planning application had been received.

Deborah Collcutt is one of the villagers who has objected to the proposals, saying it left her “dumbfounded”.

She said: “I think it’s crazy. It will completely decimate, destroy and ruin the village, I just can’t believe it. There simply isn’t the infrastructure for it.

“We are saying 900 homes is out of all proportion for a village this size, and it would be fairer to spread the homes out of a wider area.

“The quarries would have a huge detrimental effect on the village, on people’s lives and the history of the area, and the farming fields would never be suitable to be farmed again because the quarrying would destroy them.

“It’s just too much to cope with. We are a small, rural village of huge historical significance because of T.E. Lawrence, the village is loved by local people and visitors alike and I just don’t know why they want to do it.

“There are also huge concerns about the wildlife living in the fields, and about possible pollution to the water course.

“It just seems a crazy, crazy idea to locate a quarry of that size within a village of this size.”

Simon Gudgeon, who created the nearby Sculpture by the Lakes tourist attraction, said: “I think it’s awful. We have got so many quarries in this valley and this one could close us down. We can’t have these quarries going on right next to a tourist attraction.

“It will ruin us, it is just a complete disaster, it would destroy what we have spent eight years building here.”

Alan Payne, vice chairman of the T.E Lawrence Society, has also objected to the plans.

In a statement to the county council, Mr Payne said: “Our case is quite simple: the village of Moreton is an oasis set in a part of Dorset which has been adversely affected by mineral working, housing development and by the nearby military training area.

“The village is of international importance as the final resting place of T. E. Lawrence. He is buried in the tranquil cemetery near to St Nicholas Church.

“In addition, the Moreton tea rooms and the picturesque ford also provide a focus for the thousands of people who visit Moreton.

“The proposed quarry will not only destroy what is the main approach to the village, but the noise of quarrying and heavy lorries will undoubtedly be heard in the village.”

Dorset County Council is holding a consultation on the plans to mine in the area, and will seek views at a Moreton village hall meeting this Thursday from 3pm until 7pm.

No decision made

THE county and district councils have both re-iterated that no decision on any of the plans has been made.

Cllr Peter Wharf, chairman of Purbeck Local Plan Partial Review Advisory Group, confirmed no planning application had been submitted for 900 homes at Moreton, but the area was being considered:

He said: “Moreton is one of several areas in the district that have been put forward by land owners as potential housing development sites. These locations are being considered through the current partial review of the Purbeck Local Plan, which is a requirement of an independent government inspector.

“The district council is reviewing possible preferred locations for development around the district and has not yet decided where these preferred locations will be. A number of factors will be taken into consideration when deciding if a site is suitable, such as government policies and the likely impact on the roads and the natural environment.”

Mike Garrity, Dorset County Council's County planning, minerals and waste team leader, said: "The locations for potential quarry sites are dictated by local geology.

“West Purbeck is rich with aggregates needed for the construction industry.

“It is the county council's job to plan positively for minerals and to balance this with the needs of local communities and environment to ensure that the county's economy remains healthy."