Sand and gravel pit application approved

Luke Edwards

Grant Haven Media

Norfolk councillors have approved an application that allows a sand and gravel pit to be established on a St. John’s Road East property.

A staff recommendation on the application passed without discussion at the May 26 meeting. The proponents required a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the project, which is planned for a 29-hectare parcel of land in Norfolk County.

There are an estimated 2.7 million tonnes of aggregate on the land, the staff report said. 

A section of the property is designated as hazard lands, and it will be excluded from the licence.

Staff identified some concerns, mostly around the property’s entrance and the condition of St. John’s Road East. They have created a development agreement with the owners to address those concerns.

The municipality will receive some money through a fee the owners will have to pay to the Ontario Aggregate Resources Corporation. This will help offset potential costs to the town for roadway needs. Because there’s no building planned, Norfolk can’t charge development fees.

Norfolk could receive anywhere between $3,800 and $61,300 a year, depending on how much is extracted.

In the report, staff indicated the licence allows the owners to extract 325,000 tonnes a year, though the owners expect to extract no more than 100,000 tonnes. At that rate it would take 27 years to be fully depleted.