Longstone Edge
Coordinates: 53°14′N 1°41′W / 53.24°N 1.69°W
| Longstone Edge | |
 Longstone Edge
Longstone Edge shown within Derbyshire |
|
| OS grid reference | SK217735 |
|---|---|
| District | Derbyshire Dales |
| Shire county | Derbyshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BAKEWELL |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire | |
Longstone Edge is a limestone ridge in the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England.
Longstone Edge is situated to immediately to the north of the village of Great Longstone, which is in turn about 3km north of the town of Bakewell. It runs from east to west for about 6km, from the village of Calver to the River Wye at Monsal Dale and is about 1km wide. It rises to about 390m (1300ft) and commands far-reaching views over the Peak District.
It has been, and is, intensively quarried for galena, fluorspar and barytes, and more controversially, limestone. Since Longstone Edge is a noted beauty spot and is located within the Peak District National Park there is strong local pressure for the quarrying to stop altogether.
Some of this quarrying is strictly controlled by the Peak District National Park Authority, but the Authority has been conducting a lengthy legal battle to try to stop other quarries (at Backdale and Wager's Flat) which are operating outside of the authority's guidelines.
In February 2008 the High Court ruled in favour of landowner Bleaklow Industries Ltd, and quarrying at Backdale quarry has resumed. The Peak District National Park Authority has now won permission to appeal against that High Court decision. In the meantime, a consortium of pressure groups is campaigning to have the Government buy out the old mineral mining permissions from the landowner.
On the 10th and 11th February 2009, the previous High Court ruling in favour of the Landowner and Operator of Backdale Quarry was overturned by three appeal judges, and although it still allowed the quarrying to continue, the ruling ensured that the original 1952 permission would be interpreted correctly, with the emphasis on fluorspar rather than limestone.
Bleaklow Industries requested leave to appeal, but this request was denied on 25th June 2009.
The operator of Backdale Quarry, MMC Minerals(Midlands)Ltd, on 9th April 2009, was ordered by an HMRC tribunal to pay aggregate duty for the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of limestone it illegally removed from Longstone Edge.
In July 2009, quarrying ceased at Backdale Quarry, and the machinery was removed. However, Bleaklow Industries still own land covered by 1952 permissions on Longstone Edge, and there will always be the threat that they could start the whole process over again at Wagers Flat and Peak Pasture, with equally damaging consequences.
