HYTHE qUARRY

Bordering the New Forest in Hythe, Hampshire, Forest Lodge is home to a sand and gravel quarry supplying much-needed construction aggregate to the local construction industry. In a region highly regarded for its mineral deposits, Hythe produces a gold/brown sand and gravel which is ideal for construction projects in Southampton, Winchester, Bournemouth and surrounding areas.

Forest Lodge (Hythe) Quarry was Identified in the Hampshire Minerals and Waste Plan (2013) as ‘the best option for continuing a local supply of soft sand and sharp sand and gravel from this part of south Hampshire’.

Planning permission for mineral extraction and restoration was granted in March 2017 and quarrying commenced in August 2018. The quarry is split into three phases and is planned to be completed by 2028.

TJ are proud members of the Mineral Products Association (MPA), ensuring our core values and best practice aligns with quarry operators all around the UK. This is embodied by the company’s slogan: ‘Excellence. Delivered safely’.

product

Hythe Quarry produces two products – a light, soft sand and a well-graded gravel.

The golden gravel and sharp sand mixture, which is sometimes referred to as ballast, is ideal for onward screening/washing, bedding and drainage fill.


The sand, which is available in much larger volumes than the gravel, is suitable for many purposes including:

Building materials

Hythe sand is utilised by many building and construction companies in the southern region and beyond, to make a range of valuable and essential building materials. These products include plaster, masonry materials and concrete items such as prefabricated steps.

Cattle bedding

Hythe Quarry’s 0/1mm sand has virtually no silt and high silica content, making it ideal for use as cattle bedding. As an inert material, it doesn’t provide a substrate for bacteria and bugs to grow, preventing mastitis and helping to keep somatic cell counts down.

Our cattle bedding sand has been thoroughly analysed by OEMAchem Ltd, a one stop shop approach to all areas chemical. OEMAchem carried out particle size gradings analysis of TJ’s sand and concluded that it was fully compliant as an 0/1mm sand as described. Our sand is analysed quarterly to ensure a consistent high quality product.

Why is sand used for cattle bedding?

  • Sand provides a higher level of comfort for cows, so lying times are greater, which leads to increased milk yields
  • It generally gives less hock damage to cows than mattresses as there is less chafing
  • It allows urine to drain away, sparing you the wet sponge effect you can get with straw yards
  • Sand is easier to handle than straw
  • Sand will go through the slurry pump with ease
  • Cows are kept cleaner for the milking parlour, reducing further clean-up time and costs

Sports surfacing

Our sand is used widely for sports surfacing. It is utilised in the equestrian world for surfacing racing tracks and menages; it is laid to protect the membrane that covers the drainage bed. Our cleaned and screened sand is ideal for this use as it will not cause high dust levels.

Hythe sand is also used on golf courses to create bunkers. We’ve worked on several golf course projects in recent years, some of which are still on-going. These include improvement work at Stoneham Golf Club, Skylark Golf & Country Club and Littlehampton Golf Club.

House building

As well as being used to make building materials, our sand is also utilised in different ways within the house building sector. We can supply building sands as well as sand suitable for making mortar.

Builders sand is generally used to provide bulk to construction materials like asphalt and concrete. As building sand is fine it can be used in many ways including pointing applications, plastering and general building usage.

Mortar is used for internal and external bricklaying. To create mortar, sand is mixed with masonry cement or Portland cement and lime and is used in masonry construction.

Utility

Sand is widely used in the utility sector as its properties provide the ideal environment for bedding pipes. Sand is laid beneath and around gas, electricity and water infrastructure to protect them, hold them in place and allow effective drainage.

Plans

There are plans for three phases at Hythe Quarry.

The golden gravel and sharp sand mixture, which is sometimes referred to as ballast, is ideal for onward screeninThe quarry is split into 3 phases, whereby each ‘phase’ will be quarried at different times. This increases efficiency because as one phase of the dig completes, it can be refilled whilst the next phase is being quarried.g/washing, bedding and drainage fill.

Phase 1 quarrying began in August 2018 and was completed in Spring 2020 at which time the TJ team began preparing the area for refill. The construction of the Artificial Geological Barrier was completed by lining the hole with clay materials to ensure it is impermeable so that surface waters cannot drain through. This was then signed off by the Environment Agency.

An environmental permit was obtained and this controls the type of waste that can go in. As it is being returned to arable land, only inert soil is permitted as this will promote growth in the future. It is estimated that 110,000 cubic metres of material will need to be inserted to fill up Phase 1.

The reinstatement of Phase 1 commenced in Spring 2021 and is ongoing. Alongside this, we’ve also begun quarrying Phase 2 of the site. It is unknown how much of each of the two materials – sand and ballast – will be found beneath the surface, but it is expected that the majority of the Phase 2 material will be sand.

Once Phase 2 is complete and reinstatement begins, Phase 3 will commence. When all quarrying is complete, the entire site will be returned to arable land in line with the original agreement.

environment

We recognise that concern for the environment should be an integral and fundamental part of our business. We are aware of the impact of our day-to-day operations on the environment; our objective is to balance the need to achieve our business aims with an effort towards sustainable environmental improvement, which can be measured and monitored on a regular basis.

Company management have specific responsibility for policy development, coordination and evaluation of performance. The Environmental Policy will be maintained and upheld by the designated managers to meet commitment. Environmental aspects of our processes and activities will be effectively managed in order to protect the health and safety of employees, customers and the public whilst contributing to the future well being of the environment.

We will undertake to provide the necessary training and support to all employees to ensure that they understand and are able to fulfil the relevant aspects of the Policy in their day-to-day work. The Policy shall be publicly available. We are committed to minimising the impact of our operations on the environment by means of a programme of continuous improvement and in particular will:

  • Set clear objectives and targets with the aim of ensuring continual improvement of the Company’s environmental performance and management system.
  • Conduct our operations to ensure compliance with all relevant environmental legislation.
  • Show a continual commitment to the prevention of pollution through the use of operational controls, training and risk assessment.
  • Make efficient use of resources, reuse rather than dispose where possible and promote the use of recycled materials.
  • Improve waste management and reduce waste to landfill where possible.
  • Continually aim to minimise energy consumption through effective energy management.
  • Reduce wherever practicable the level of uncontrolled atmospheric emissions.
  • Manage and control effluent discharges arising from our operations.
  • Appropriate resources will continually be made available to ensure that the Environmental Policy is implemented in full through managerial vigilance and regular auditing and review.

Facts and stats

3 full-time members of staff

Up to 100,000 tonnes of sand and gravel extracted per year

Phase 1 took 26 months to complete and is now being reinstated to arable land.

Staff receive annual safety training updates and there have been zero accidents or injuries on-site to date.

We have an elaborate dust suppression system at the quarry to provide protection to the surrounding environment and residential areas. This is a permanent water-based atomiser along the fence line, which is fed by a high pressure pump and captures dust particles to prevent them from polluting the surrounding area.

We have a community fund, which is available to support local causes. In the past these have included projects at Minstead Trust and Warren Copse.

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