Our recent plea for more staplers and deliverers has resulted in some new recruits and we would like to welcome Bridget Gray, Mrs Daynes and Eddie Smalls as staplers and Valerie Lowe as a new deliverer. Janet Smith has also volunteered to staple and deliver the Marlpit to her neighbours in Little Hautbois so extending our boundaries further. We are very grateful to them all. We are sad however to have to say goodbye to retiring stapler Mark Bowen and his team and retiring deliverer Andrea Morrey. Thank you all for your hard work for the community, it has been most appreciated. Our plea for further assistance continues and we still need another deliverer in Coltishall. Please contact an editor if you can help.

You may notice some changes this month with the introduction of a Contents in the magazine to help you find your favourite bits more quickly. You may well find the order rather different as well with regular articles and letters to the magazine near the front and the Clubs, Associations and Church news further to the back. We would welcome your comments on how you as readers like to see the layout of your magazine and what you like to see included. Comments to the editors please.

Finally it is the time of year when the little brown envelope is attached to your Marlpit. The magazine is free but we do rely very much on your voluntary donations to help with the running and publication costs. Obviously the paper, ink, etc all cost money as does the continuing running costs of the printer.

Volunteers will be calling to collect the envelopes and your donations some time between 13th - 27th April. They will be carrying identification. We hope you will feel able to contribute something towards the Marlpit this year. Thank you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Sand and Gravel Extraction

Two of your editors were among the many people who attended a meeting arranged by Horstead with Stanninghall Parish Council on 2 March 2002. Firstly we would compliment the Chairman, John Neville, for the excellent way in which he maintained control and discipline over what was clearly an emotive subject. For those unable to attend we have summarised, to the best of our ability, the main points of the meeting.

Planning Application Ref. ENV/C/2001/5005 by Longwater Gravel at Grange Farm, Horstead

Mr Littleboy, Managing Director of Longwater Gravel addressed the meeting and confirmed:
• 500,000 tonnes to be extracted over a 10 year period.
• Estimated 26 lorry movements per day for 6 days per week.
• Intention to transport all gravel to Costessey, lorries would achieve this by driving to Horstead and turning right at the Recruiting Sergeant junction then proceed towards Norwich and the outer ring road.
• Advised that an alternative route through Hainford was under discussion.
• Confirmed there would be a mobile crushing plant on site from time to time.

Intended Planning Application by Tarmac at Norwich Road, Horstead

Mr Gumby of Tarmac addressed the meeting and confirmed:
• Estimated 7½ million tonnes of gravel to be extracted over 20 year period from this 100 Hectare site.
• Estimated 150 lorry movements per day.
• Concrete mixing will take place on the site with cement brought in.
• There will be a permanent 5m drop in the land level.
• This would be Tarmac's main supply in Norfolk.
• Work to be carried out in 8 phases with 3 phases active at any one time.
• 90% of traffic is planned to go to Norwich.
• Tarmac intend to have a second public exhibition (no date yet) and give reasonable notice of this meeting.
• Tarmac expect to plant 40,000 trees and hedging to provide a screen.

Matters raised in response/general comment at the meeting

The anticipated periods of extraction are not guaranteed and can reasonably be extended.

Neither the lorry movements (as maximum movements) nor the routes taken will be guaranteed.
There are no specific planned road improvements/pedestrian safety measures or the like to accommodate the proposals.

Previous Tarmac sites were conceded by them as having tree screening of immature deciduous trees that for most of the life of the extraction would not successfully provide a screen.