Community

Local jobs and the regional economy

Wensley Quarry supports local employment and supply chain businesses, helping to sustain jobs in haulage, maintenance, engineering and other services. By maintaining production at Wensley, we can continue to support local employment and spending in the local economy over the extended life of the quarry.

The quarry is a significant contributor to the local economy – making an estimated contribution of almost £1.5 million per annum based on 2024 figures.

Wensley Quarry has 8 direct employees with significant indirect employment in haulage, goods and services. Although no additional jobs would be created because the scheme is a continuation of operations, the 8 existing direct jobs on site would be protected for around 28 years if the scheme is approved – as well as the indirectly employed jobs including contract hauliers, fitters and electricians.

Beyond the direct benefits to Tarmac and its employees, there are wider ‘indirect effects’. Our spending encourages our suppliers to keep producing, which then supports further activity down the supply chain. As an example, this includes hauliers who transport materials from the site.

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Landfill Communities Fund

Did you know that there are opportunities for community funding from Tarmac? We can support local projects with funding the Landfill Communities Fund, which was established by the government in 1996. It enables operators to donate part of their annual tax liability to enrolled Environmental Bodies for a variety of approved community and environmental projects, and quarries qualify under the scheme. To find out more please visit: www.entrust.org.uk

Richmond bike park case study

One recent example of our support for local projects is the development of the Richmond bike park, which benefitted from Tarmac’s materials and assistance. The project, driven by local volunteers and local businesses, will create a free-to-access space for riders of all ages, featuring trails, pump tracks and areas for skills development. We were proud to donate stone for the foundations of the new trails.

The bike park has planning approval and is being delivered in phases. Construction of the first section, including the Green Skills Trail loop and access improvements, is now underway, with the first features expected to open in 2026. You can read more about at www.richmondbikepark.co.uk.

Liaison committee

We previously operated a quarry liaison committee that met annually, but meetings fell away over time due to low attendance. Feedback from residents has made it clear that a regular, structured forum for dialogue is important. We will therefore be restarting the liaison committee – which will include representatives from North Yorkshire Council, local parish councils and the wider community, along with members of the site team.

In addition, we’re always happy to speak with residents directly – whether by phone or by email.

Complaints and enquiries

We acknowledge that some residents feel their past complaints and enquiries about noise, dust and blasting were not handled as well or as promptly as they should have been. We take this seriously and have reviewed our complaints and response procedure. Going forward, we are committing to better monitoring, logging and responding to complaints received.

If you have a concern, please contact the site using the details on the Contact page. Wherever possible, including the date, time and (for traffic issues) vehicle registration helps us investigate more effectively.