Devon tungsten mine consultation underway

WATCH: It could be world's third-largest

People in Plympton say they are worried that the redevelopment of a nearby tungsten mine will bring up to 300 lorries per day through residential areas. 

The company behind the project, Tungsten West, says the latest £45 million rebuild of the Hermerdon Mine will create hundreds of jobs and become the third largest tungsten mine in the world. 

Although many local people recognise the need for the mine, some question the jobs’ claims and want the company to consider a different route for the HGVs moving in and out. 

Their concerns are being voiced at the beginning of a week-long consultation process into the mining development.

Cllr Glenn Jordan (Conservative, Plympton Chaddlewood) says: “The concerns we have here in Plympton, especially in my area of Chaddlewood, is the amount of lorries that will be passing through residential areas. 

“An extra 300 lorries – that could be up to an extra 600 trips – is an awful lot of lorries going past two schools, as well as also shopping centres and the amount of houses that were on that route as well.

“We need to look at the infrastructure to make sure that the road network is there to support this. 

“Driving through residential areas is not a sensible option. 

“In the local plan, there have been options about a second exit at Voss Junction. 

“Or what we could look at is actually a road that goes around the Langage Industrial Estate, which would be able to take articulated lorries without actually going into the residential areas in Plympton.”

The proposed route would take the lorries down the B3417 and then along Glen Road and onto Sandy Road before meeting the A38.

Tungsten West does not dispute the figure of 300 lorries per day but says it will not reach that number for several years.  

James McFarlane is managing director at Tungsten West plc. “We currently have a temporary planning consent for 150 vehicle movements a day,” he explains.

“We’ve been moving material for some time without any complaints locally. 

“The intention is, as we start production, we would like to increase that amount to a peak around 300 vehicle movements a day. 

“That’s going to take some time to achieve – at least five years, we believe. So there is some some time. It’s not going to hit people overnight.” 

Mr McFarlane also highlighted the size and importance of the project, particularly with the current invasion by Russia of Ukraine.  

“This is a product of international critical importance. The biggest producers of tungsten are China, Vietnam and Russia in that order. 

“That’s obviously poignant at the moment. With the situation in Ukraine and the embargoes against Russia, we can see that it’s going to be of critical importance for tungsten production in the west.”  

 Local campaigner and Green Party candidate Ian Poyser also has concerns about the amount of traffic and size of the project but he acknowledges the importance of tungsten. 

“I broadly accept that the use of secondary aggregates is a good thing,” he says. 

“Overall the use of aggregates will reduce the amount of carbon being emitted for a start. But I think we need to get that balance right. 

“We need to get a balance between environmental economics and consideration for the local residents, the local community. 

 “Longer term, speaking to the mine, they’ve got ambitions to use rail heads and maybe export via the sea.

“I think as a business they need to demonstrate that there’s a market there and they can get the aggregate to market before they start investing in big projects like like a rail head, which is millions of pounds effectively and takes years to plan with someone like Network Rail.”

Tungsten is the hardest metal in the world and has the highest melting temperature.

It is used to manufacture, build and drill parts of all other metals and things used in everyday life.

The attached video report is from BBC Spotlight.