This petition is now closed and is being submitted as part of the planning process. Together we collected 743 signatures against the proposed quarry with 261 comments highlighting concerns about road safety, unsuitable location, no clear benefit for local community, environmental impact, as well as dust and air pollution.

Thank you for your support!

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**UPDATE 17th May 2021**

This petition will close at 2pm Tuesday 18th May and will then be submitted as part of the planning process (deadline Thurs 20th May 2021).

Thank you for your support.

Please also submit your own response to the planning process if you haven't already - Search the Aberdeenshire Council website for Planning Application APP/2021/0546, or "Rainnieshill" for details of the current application.

Follow our facebook page StopTheNewmacharQuarry for more info and updates

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**UPDATE** 28th April 2021

The planning application for Rainnieshill Quarry (on Beauty Hill) has now been submitted.

Search the Aberdeenshire Council website for Planning Application APP/2021/0546, or "Rainnieshill" for details of the current application.

Follow our facebook page StopTheNewmacharQuarry for more info and updates

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Initial petition information:

We local residents, concerned parties and constituents request our representative government agencies, Aberdeenshire Council and The Scottish Government, to take actions to prevent the opening of an unnecessary and harmful quarry at Newmachar, to be called Rainnieshill Quarry.

JKR Contractors Ltd. intend to apply for permission to excavate from Beauty Hill just 1 kilometre from nearby houses in Kingseat and 1 mile from ones in Newmachar.

The 20-acre (8.2 hectare) quarry will be the size of 12 Pittodrie (full international) football pitches and is set to produce up to 60,000 tonnes a year for as long as 17 years. Then there will be an undetermined period of time filling it back in.

Here are nine reasons Rainnieshill Quarry is not wanted in the local area:

• Road safety issues posed by numerous 20 tonne HGVs travelling daily towards the villages, along narrow, unsuitable, unclassified roads past children going to school and increasing numbers of cyclists and walkers.
• Safety and traffic problems on the narrow junction at the bridge over the former railway line at the top of Hillbrae Way.
• Health concerns due to dust caused by blasting, drilling, crushing, loading, storing and transporting of the materials.
• Long hours of noise and vibration from 6.30 am until 7 pm created by rock extraction and processing as well as the HGVs.
• Worries about what detrimental effect it will have on our much-loved Formartine and Buchan Way which passes very close by: used by horse riders, walkers, runners and cyclists it is justifiably designated one of ‘Scotland's Great Trails’.
• Concern for negative impacts on environment, infrastructure and countryside and loss of natural habitat for the amazing variety of wildlife in the area.
• Limited employment opportunities. JKR’s representative said they expect just 2 employees to work at the quarry.
• Property values in Newmachar and Kingseat may suffer.

We do not need a new quarry at Newmachar because there are already several nearby which serve the area. Despite the size and impact of the quarry, it will bring little benefit. The contractor expects two persons to work there, but will they be locals? Only a small handful of people will benefit from this financially.

For more information from JKR about the updated proposal for the quarry please see their website here.

Follow our Facebook page Stop the Newmachar Quarry for more information and updates.

Council documents pertaining to the application can be found here Aberdeenshire Council Planning Search for the reference: ENQ/2020/1484

This petition will be lodged with the council ASAP after the planning application.

Every signature here is a message to STOP THE NEWMACHAR QUARRY!