Battle lines are again being drawn as campaigners prepare to challenge proposals for six potential new sand quarries and five potential new waste sites in the Midhurst and Petworth area.
The sites are on a West Sussex County Council list as it bids to finalise its dual strategy for minerals extraction and the disposal of waste.
A consultation period with interested groups, including residents' representatives, is drawing to a clos
e. A deadline of January 29 has been set.
But campaigners are tearing their hair as, after more than a decade, they see possible quarry sites they thought were safe being submitted again by operators keen to dig out the profitable bounty of sand.
Among those included in a preliminary assessment of long-listed possibles is Duncton Common, despite it being dropped by the county council in 2005 on the grounds of the impact on the landscape and nature conservation.
In the heart of the sand belt, Duncton has felt the effects of lorry traffic to and from existing quarries - including the substantial Heath End pit - for more than 20 years.
Liz Williams, who has led a Duncton action group for almost two decades and is now the parish council's co-opted representative on the minerals issue, said she had an overwhelming sense of deja vu.
"We are going back to square one of 15 years ago. I cannot see that a site which has been consistently turned down and is now being proposed as anything but a sop to the industry," Mrs Williams declared.
For more details including maps see the Thursday, January 21 edition of the Midhurst Observer.
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