§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total area of land in Bedfordshire being worked for the extraction of sand and gravel, specifying the number of workings the total area of which exceeds 10 acres.
§ Mr. Graham PageA consultation document on minerals issued in 1972 by Bedfordshire County Council indicated that up to the end of 1970 planning permission for the working of sand together with gravel had been granted for 2,024 acres, and that 697 acres were then unexploited. In addition, sand deposits permitted for extraction totalled 1,584 acres of which 761 acres remained unworked. 393W Mineral production returns made to the Department show that at the end of 1971 there were in Bedfordshire six active workings for sand and gravel and 18 for sand only, but these returns do not indicate the number exceeding 10 acres.
A local authority working party on sand and gravel in the Middle Anglia Gravel Region is expected to report shortly and provide updated information.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the size of sand and gravel reserves in Bedfordshire and the percentage thereof at present being worked.
§ Mr. Graham PageAlthough geological maps indicate the lateral extent of sand and gravel deposits in Bedfordshire, insufficient information is at present available in relation to their thickness and quality to enable the size of reserves in the county to be reliably given. The mineral assessment unit of the Institute of Geological Sciences is engaged in assessing the extent of sand and gravel resources in the country but it will be some years before the work is completed.