Campaigners at England’s largest reservoir are planning to use a controversial new legal judgment on climate change to prevent the landscape from being ruined by a proposed development. , an iconic Midlands beauty spot and Site of Special Scientific Interest, has for decades sat close to the sprawling Ketton Cement Works, which produces roughly a tenth of the UK’s Portland cement. In its current form, the plant is due to run out of raw materials within the next 10 years.
Its owners have applied to dramatically increase the scope of the adjoining Grange Top quarry. The proposed expansion would enlarge the quarry by approximately 275 acres, and come with new buildings and roads. If allowed, it would extend the life of the works by another 25 to 30 years.
But residents have now mobilised to try to prevent the expansion, arguing that it would encroach on Rutland Water and the neighbouring picturesque village of Empingham. This year, the reservoir became the in England to win a Blue Flag and Seaside Award due to the quality of its water. It is also recognised as an official wetland of international importance.
Campaigners opposing the development have been buoyed by , which ruled that when deciding whether or not to allow new developments, local councils have to take into account not just the impact on the environment of building the site, but the “downstream” impact on the climate of any emissions once it is up and running. The June decision was criticised as “bizarre�.