A QUARRY firm has been given the go-ahead to close one site and open another.

Hills Quarry Products Ltd, will replace its current sand quarry at Tubney Wood with a soft sand quarry at nearby Upwood Park, Besselsleigh, near Abingdon.

The site covers an area of 22.4 hectares and has a potential mineral reserve of 1.4m tonnes.

It is expected that average annual output from the site will be 85,000 tonnes, but Oxfordshire County Council has given permission for up to 100,000 tonnes a year, giving the site a 15- to 18-year lifespan.

The new quarry will replace the Tubney Wood quarry, which was used as the location for an episode of Doctor Who in 1975. It will close at the end of 2012 and be restored to woodland.

The Upwood Park site will be hidden from the view of walkers or riders on footpaths and bridleways in the area by woodland and grassed banks.

Once the operation at Upwood Park is finished, expected to be by 2030, three of the four fields will be returned to agricultural use.

The fourth and largest field next to the National Nature Reserve will be handed over to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT).

Approving the scheme will mean the council can meet minimum Government targets for sand mineral reserves in the county.

Resident Elspeth Amey, of Rowleigh Lane, Besselsleigh, said: “I’m not happy. It’s about 200 yards from my house. I’m going to have dust and mess for 20 years when they start, plus the noise of the lorries.”

Jeff Burley, of Wantage Road, Frilford Heath, said: “We are very distraught. The main issue that they (Hills) have not worked out properly is the impact it is going to have on traffic, safety and vehicle access on the A338.

“They are going to have at least 40 trucks a day on a road which is frantically busy, particularly during rush hour.”

A council spokesman said: “The proposals do not conflict with development plan policies. There is a need for soft sand in order to maintain reserves against national policy which has to be weighed against the potential environmental impacts.”