RESIDENTS are invited to an an exhibition of plans for a gravel extraction operation at Cholsey near Wallingford, this Monday(mar14).

Grundon Sand and Gravel wants people's views on its plans to extract aggregate from land at New Barn Farm, west of Wallingford

The company is holding a public consultation exhibition on Monday (March14) from 2pm to 8pm at The Pavilion in Station Road, Cholsey.

Oxfordshire County Councillor for Cholsey Mark Gray said: "Villagers really don't want gravel extraction on their doorsteps and are very worried about the prospect.

"At a recent parish council meeting about 30 people turned up to talk about gravel extraction and we hadn't asked even asked them to.

"We also think that it is not necessary to extract as much sand and gravel as companies are suggesting."

Wallingford Town Council leader Lynda Atkins has said previously that gravel extraction would harm the area's reputation as a tourist destination.

In March last year (2015) the county council approved the latest draft of its minerals strategy.

Campaign to Protect Rural England minerals consultant Arnold Grayson said proposed figures for extraction were 42 per cent higher than previous drafts, up from 0.715 million tonnes a year to 1.015 million tonnes a year.

As a result, he said, new pits would probably be needed "most likely at Cholsey and Culham".

Grundon bought the 165-acre site at New Barn Farm in January last year (2015).

The company is now proposing to extract 2.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel from 67 acres of the site, at a rate of approximately 140,000 tonnes a year.

A Grundon spokesman said this would mean an extraction period of about 18 years – followed by a further two years to complete restoration of the site.

The site would be approached via a new, purpose-designed access point off the A4130.

Grundon estates Manager Stewart Mitchell said: "The New Barn Farm site was identified in earlier drafts of the county council Replacement Minerals and Waste Local Plan – and remains a principal location for mineral extraction in the latest version of that plan.

"We propose to focus on the northern half of the site – a single arable field of some 86 acres.

"The potential working area would be about 67 acres, after allowing for buffer zones and other operational features - this is about the same size as 50 Premier League football pitches.

"We would work about three to four acres a year – about two football pitches.

"This means less than six per cent of the site would be extracted at any one time – with most of the land remaining in agricultural use."