Wroxton Fields Quarry sits just 4km to the west of Banbury. As your County Councillor, I want to set out clearly what the quarry is, how it currently operates, and what the proposed expansion means for the county and why I eventually voted in the way that I did.

Wroxton Fields Quarry is an existing quarry measuring approximately 68 hectares, with planning permission for mineral extraction and restoration using site-derived materials to agricultural land. It is located to the west of Wroxton and approximately 4km to the west of Banbury.

The quarry is accessed from the A422 Stratford Upon Avon Road, which borders the site to the north. Its operations include mineral extraction, mineral processing, stockpiling areas, site offices, welfare facilities and parking.

When I looked into how the site actually works day-to-day, having visited the site with officers and spending some time reading the report in the papers, I found that the two active extraction areas — Phases 5 and 6 — sit in the eastern part of the quarry. Rock is crushed at the working face first, then moved to Phase 4 in the north-west corner for secondary processing, washing and stockpiling before it leaves the site via the weighbridge.

What struck me is how the two phases are deliberately worked together to keep production going year-round. Phase 5 has lower-grade mineral and is better suited to the drier summer months, while Phase 6 yields higher-quality material and can be worked whatever the weather. Running them side by side is essentially how the operator keeps the quarry productive throughout the year — which also means the traffic and activity on the A422 is pretty constant.