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Stop The Quarry - Save Our Trees

Mineral Rights – Less Than Powerful Here

Mineral rights from the 1960s cannot bulldoze modern protections.

The Myth of Mineral Rights

Sibelco and its supporters often point to “mineral rights” dating back to the 1960s, suggesting this means the woodland is already lost. But here’s the truth in 2025:

  • Dormant permissions cannot be reactivated without a full modern review and updated conditions.

  • If a site has permanently ceased, the council can issue a Prohibition Order, extinguishing old rights entirely.

  • Even if rights exist, the company must still clear all modern planning hurdles – including a full Environmental Statement, Habitats Regulations Assessment, and a Biodiversity Gain Plan.

The Reality of Today’s Law

  • 110% Biodiversity Net Gain is legally required. Felling mature oak woodland beside a main river makes this almost impossible to deliver.

  • Strategic Green Infrastructure corridors must be maintained, not severed. Large pits flanking the Teign would shatter habitat connectivity.

  • Flood risk safeguards apply. The developer must prove no increase in flood risk – a tall order given the 2024 floods already linked to Sibelco’s pits.

  • Water quality protections under the Environment Act mean the company must prove no harm to the River Teign.


Yesterday’s rights do not trump today’s protections for residents, nature and the river.

Save Our Trees Campaign

The Bottom Line

Mineral rights are not the trump card Sibelco wants us to believe. Modern law, modern policy, and modern environmental standards carry more weight. The community has strong levers to hold this company to account – and we intend to use every one of them.


More Updates

22/09/2025

Time to draw the line on Bovey Basin quarry expansion

All minerals are finite. Ball clay included. Expansion cannot go on forever.
04/10/2025

Minerals are running out: Time to find alternatives to ball clay

All precious minerals are finite. Ball clay will run out and we can start preparing now. We live in a time of climate crisis, woodland loss, flooding, and polluted rivers, and still, companies talk about new pits as if there’s no alternative. The truth is, there are alternatives, and they’re already here.
20/09/2025

Is Sibelco responsible for the flooding?

Is multinational corporation Sibelco responsible for the flooding down river of their mega quarries, due to neglect of legally bound duties? Residents ask if there is a legal case to answer.
22/09/2025

The Road to Nowhere: Broken Promises in the Bovey Basin

In 2013, we were told that destroying two copses of woodland was a necessary sacrifice for 50 years of progress. In 2025, we can see the reality: those promises were lies. The trees are gone forever, and the community is left with nothing but more quarrying demands.
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