tillyfourie quarry · quarrying first started at tillyfourie on a site to the north of the present...

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Tillyfourie QuarryRemoval of previously quarried material

Morris Tait Architectural DesignBrackenwellPitcapleInverurieAB51 5HY

Tillyfourie Quarries LimitedMonymusk Estate OfficeMonymuskInverurieAB51 7HL

Larry IrwinStrutt and Parker LLPSt Nicholas HouseStation RoadBanchoryAB31 5YJ

Architectural Agent: Quarry Owner: Estate Factor & Land agent:

November 2017 Public information package

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Tillyfourie Quarry: Location and ContextLocation in the wider landscape

Tillyfourie Quarry

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Tillyfourie Quarry: Location and ContextLocation: A closer look

Upper Quarry

Lower Quarry

Upper Quarry:Large quarry hole covering around 4 acres, water filled to a depth of around 50 feet (15.24M).Rock piles from historic workingsTo the South of the Quarry hole.

Lower Quarry:Small quarry hole to the East, water filled to a depth of around 15 feet (4.57M). Rock piles from historic workingsTo the Southwest.Large yard area to the West.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: HistoryEarly workings:

Early Quarry

Thistle Cottage(general locality)

Small scale early workings:Quarrying first started at Tillyfourie on a site to the North of the present junction of the B993 and the A944.

Quarrying was probably first carried out by local Quarrymasters on a fairly modest scale in the 1600’s and 1700’s

These small quarries are fairly shallow and the material would have been moved out of the quarries through access roads carved out of the hillside, level with the base of the quarry. This would have been done by horse and cart.

These early workings are not part of the existing project site and there are no plans for their re-use.

Early QuarryVictoria Cottage

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Tillyfourie Quarry: HistoryThe industrial age:

Large Scale quarrying begins:

The coming of the Great North of Scotland Railway in 1859 meant that quarry products could be moved from the site by rail to Aberdeen and could then be shipped throughout the world.

Quarrying began on a massive scale and the Upper and Lower Quarry holes were worked intensively from this period onwards.

The Quarry had it’s own Railway sidings off the GNSR as well it’s own railway network within the site, linking the upper and lower Quarries.

Upper Quarry

Rock piles

Lower QuarriesGreat North of Scotland Railway Railway sidings

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Tillyfourie Quarry: HistoryQuarrying Pioneers:

Quarrymasters at Tillyfourie:

During the 1800’s Tillyfourie Quarry was leased from Sir Archibald Grant 7th Baronet of Monymusk, first by John Mowlem and Company, who were Quarrymasters and Civil Engineers. John Mowlem and Company would have used Granite from Tillyfourie throughout Britain and beyond.

In the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th century John Fyfe took over the lease of the quarry. In it’s heyday there were 1,000 masons employed at the quarry on a daily basis and an additional 3000 supporting trades.

John Fyfe “The Granite King” 1830-1906 John Mowlem 1788-1868

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Tillyfourie Quarry: HistoryHigh quality granite for high profile projects:

A massive block of granite blasted from the face of the upper Quarry, Tillyfourie in the late 1800’s.In the foreground, a very early steam driven pneumatic drill is in use.John Fyfe is credited with the invention of the Blondin Cable Crane which revolutionised Quarrying and meant that heavy loads could be lifted from the quarry floor with ease meaning ever deeper quarry holes!

Granite from Tillyfourie was used in the foundations of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, the Victoria Docks in Liverpool and the Thames embankment in London.

In more recent times Granite from Tillyfourie was used in the construction of the Colpy and Huntly Bypass.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.The legacy from 120 years of quarrying:

When the upper and lower quarries were worked intensively in the 1800’s and early 1900’s the main products of the Quarries were large granite blocks for Civil Engineering projects as well as smaller building blocks, granite setts and kerbs.

Every stone was worked into a useable product mostly of cuboid form.

This huge amount of production meant that inevitably there would be a bi-product.

In the case of the Quarries at Tillyfourie the bi-product is around half a million tonnes of rock, mostly of randomly angular form. East roadside Bing upper Quarry

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East roadside Bing upper QuarryWest roadside Bing upper Quarry

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Lower Quarry Bing and access road to site.

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The rocks are piled on the hillside in large piles or “bings”.

The size of the rocks vary from a few kilogrammes up to rocks weighing as much as seven or eight tonnes.

The profile of the hillside under the piles of rocks is the natural surface but the rocks have been piled up so much over the years that they have formed small artificial hills.

Rock pile

Rock piles

Upper Quarry

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Rock pile

Lower Quarry

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Qualities of the site and its resources:

Tillyfourie Quarry is identified in the 2017 Aberdeenshire Local Development plan as a safeguarded mineral resource of Grey Granite.

There are millions of tonnes of granite located over and under ground on the site.

The site is located close to the A944 so has good transport links.

The granite is of a very high quality, is extremely durable with very low abrasion properties and is ideal for road making, civil engineering applications, Railway ballast and Marine applications.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aspirations for the Quarries:

• Make use of the large quantity of previously quarried material on the site.

• The efficient use of already quarried material where appropriate to conserve the unquarried granite reserves within the Quarries for future generations.

• “use of the previously quarried material is a large re-cycling exercise”

• Return the hillside to its natural state but with consideration for the habitat the rock piles have created.

• Improve the safety of the site for the enjoyment by the public. Many of the rocks within the piles are unstable and some have already rolled down into the forest below.

• Economic benefits and the creation of thirty jobs for the local area.

• Create new habitats and plant more trees.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Current opportunities:

Tillyfourie Quarries Limited have been approached by Contractors who are working on the new South Harbour Development in Aberdeen.

The Contractors are contracted to supply Rock Armour for the new South Breakwater for the protection of the proposed harbour.

Tillyfourie granite is ideal for this application, being particularly hard and non abrasive, as previously described.

The proposal presents a unique opportunity for Tillyfourie Quarries Limited because the previously quarried rocks match the specification for the Rock Armour required for the new Breakwater.

The safety of the public is an ongoing concern for Tillyfourie Quarries Limited and the removal of the rocks will mean access to the surrounding forest will be much safer for everyone.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Planning Application:

The Rock Armour project for Aberdeen’s new South Harbour has provided the impetus for Tillyfourie Quarries Limited to realise the potential of the previously quarried material on the site.

It is the intention of Tillyfourie Quarries Limited to submit a full Planning Application to Aberdeenshire Council for the removal of the previously quarried material on the site.

It must be stressed that the proposal is for removal from the site of the previously quarried material only. No new quarrying or blasting will be taking place as a result of this proposal.

Any future intensification up to actual quarry operations would need the submission of a separate planning application.Tillyfourie Quarries Limited have no plans to intensify operations to quarrying at the present time.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Planning Application process:

The Planning Application for the removal of the previously quarried material qualifies as a Major Development as defined in the Town and Country (hierarchy of developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009.

For Major Development Applications there is a requirement for:

• The developer to engage in Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) with the community.

• Submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PoAN) to the Local Authority.

• Within the PoAN the Applicant sets out the public engagement they are to undertake.

• In consultation with Aberdeenshire Council’s Planning Department, Tillyfourie Quarries Limited have agreed to a number of measures in an effort to fully engage and involve the community, in order to obtain their input.

• The opinions of the local community are then included in the PAC report which is then submitted to the Local Authority in order to demonstrate to them which methods were used in the engagement of the community, what feedback was received and how the applicant has changed the proposal to reflect the opinions of the local community.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Planning Application process: Steps to be taken to engage the community.

Meet with Cluny, Midmar and Monymusk Community Council to show them the proposals so far and to get their positive or negative views on the development in order to help the Application move forward and to incorporate the views and ideas into the eventual Planning Application.

Organise a full public meeting, again for the views, opinions and ideas of the public to be listened to and acted upon as appropriate, as part of the Full Planning Application.

Our public meeting will be held in the Millbank Hall on the 15th of January 2018 between 3.00pm & 8.00pm and will take the form of a public exhibition of the proposals. A member of our Team will be on hand throughout the meeting.

Advertise the public meeting in the local newspapers. We will advertise the meeting in the Inverurie Advertiser and the Inverurie Herald/Donside Piper in the week ending 14th/15th of December 2017.

Distribution of this package to directly affected neighbours.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Planning Application process: Additional requirements.

We also need to formally ask the Local Authority for a screening opinion if an Environmental Impact Assessment is required because the proposal is a Major Development.

The screening request is quite an involved document in itself and we are currently in the process of preparing it.

At this stage we are hopeful that an Environmental Impact Assessment will not be required because no quarrying is to be carried out.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Planning Application process: considerations and consultations currently underway with a view to forming the Full Planning Application:

• Topographic survey

• Layout drawings

• Habitat & wildlife surveys

• Noise assessments

• Consultations with Aberdeenshire Council Environmental Health Department

• Consultations with SEPA

• Consultations with Aberdeenshire Council Roads and Transportation Department

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Further Detail

South Breakwater

The rock armour is to be used for the South Breakwater, which protects the harbour from damage from the Sea and lies to the Southeast of the new harbour entrance.The proposed Breakwater is around 650M long.

Image from the Aberdeen Harbour Board

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Rock requirements

The rock armour for the project is sought in the following weight categories and quantities (note: this is what is required for the Harbour project in total. The amount removed from TillyfourieQuarry will be less than the quantities shown below):

• 240,000 tonnes of stone in the weight range of 1 to 3 tonnes each



Therefore Approximately 420,000 tonnes of stone is required in total.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Handling of the rocks.

• Rocks to be sorted into their weight categories within the Tillyfourie Quarry site by 360 degree tracked excavators fitted with a combination of buckets and grabs

• Rocks to be loaded onto road going lorries using 360 degree tracked excavators fitted with grab attachments

• Use of the grab attachments means there is less chance of damage to the rocks or the lorries, but most importantly it reduces the noise from the loading process

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Transportation of the rocks.

• The rocks will be removed from the site using 18 tonne, 8 wheeled lorries and taken directly to the construction site at Aberdeen South Harbour.

• The route out of the Quarry site is the road along the former GNSR line to the junction with the B993. (See addendum on page 27).

• The lorries then proceed onto the A944 to Kingswells, join the AWPR and exit the AWPR at Charleston and take the prescribed route to the Aberdeen South Harbour site.

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Transportation of the rocks.Timings and frequency of Lorry movements:

• The Rock armour can only be placed at the site in the summer months. Winter working is not practical due to the sea and weather conditions.

• Transportation will take place out of the quarry during the summer months of 2018 and 2019 (April to September).

• It is proposed that four lorry loads per hour will leave the quarry between the hours of 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and 8.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays.

Stormy seas at the entrance to Aberdeen harbour

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Aberdeen South Harbour Rock Armour requirement: Activities within Tillyfourie Quarry.

Upper quarry sorting and loading area

track

Upper quarry rock piles

Lower quarry sorting and loading area

Lower quarry rock piles Rock pile to stay in place longest

to provide noise shield

Access / exit point onto B993

Upper quarry hole

(undisturbed)

lower quarry hole

(undisturbed)

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Tillyfourie Quarry: 2017 and beyond.Addendum: Alternative access currently under consideration

We are also considering an alternative access (Blue line) in an effort to distance vehicular movements from residential

properties as much as possible

Access / exit point onto B993

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Tillyfourie QuarryPlease engage with us directly

• This is your chance to give your feedback and contributions to the proposals and to discuss the proposals with us.

• We welcome any points you raise. Please send them by email to [email protected]

• Your comments will be fed back into the ongoing public consultation process and will shape the eventual Full Planning Application which we hope to be able to submit in late January.

• When the full Planning Application is submitted you will of course have the chance to lodge your representations to Aberdeenshire Council through the standard process.

Sir Archibald Grant Bt. Director of Tillyfourie Quarries Limited

Larry Irwin. Strutt and Parker, Estate Factor to Tillyfourie Quarries Limited

Morris Tait. Architectural Agent to Tillyfourie Quarries Limited

tillyfourie quarry · quarrying first started at tillyfourie on a site to the north of the present...

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