A QUARRY which has been working for more than a century is likely to have its life extended.

Breedon Northern Ltd has applied to extend quarrying activities at Raisby Quarry, near Coxhoe, until 2042.

The company employs 18 people at the quarry at Raisby Hill, where limestone has been extracted since the latter part of the 19th century.

The current planning permission for activity at the quarry, which still has 28.5m tonnes of mineral available for extraction, is set to expire in September.

The proposal includes a two-year period following the end of quarrying to restore the land.

Approximately 75 hectares of grassland would be created, with a lake and a focus on biodiversity enhancement.

Raisby Quarry is one of ten currently active in County Durham and produces crushed rock, used for construction, civil engineering and manufacturing industries.

Breedon, which took over the site in 2016, say the quarry in as important site in the north of England and makes a significant contribution to the local economy, including supporting 18 jobs at the quarry, 25 truck drivers and 33 people at the laboratory and head office.

Durham County Council planners have recommended that the scheme is approved by councillors this week.

Their report said: “Whilst the proposal would cause a degree of localised harm to the landscape it is considered that the benefits of the proposal, in terms of crushed rock aggregate supply, jobs and future biodiversity enhancement and public access from the proposed restoration are sufficient to outweigh this harm.”