MORE than two dozen hectares of land west of Basingstoke Road in Spencers Wood could be mined for sand and gravel.
New plans for mineral mining are set to be put to the public after two new sites were identified for Berkshire authorities.
One is an area between Horton Brook and Poyle Quarry in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), with the other being the Spencers Wood site.
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It is not yet known how much sand and gravel could be extracted from the Spencers Wood site as experts still need to undertake more investigations to work this out.
There are three protected buildings, including a bronze age ring ditch and a world war two pillbox, opposite the area, which is currently used as farmland.
A report shows birds including barn owls, red kites, and skylarks, as well as newts, badgers and bats have been found at the site.
It has previously been proposed to be used for industrial uses and a vineyard.
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A strategic environmental assessment found land west of Basingstoke Road would be “sensitive” to changes in the environment and this could lead to increased run-off due to the proximity of the site to the River Loddon.
This means “likely flooding issues” at the southern portion of the site.
The site has been put forward after Wokingham borough planning bosses chucked out proposals to mine 3.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel at Bridge Farm in Arborfield in August 2019.
The Central and East Berkshire Joint Minerals and Waste Plan involves Bracknell Forest Council (BFC), Wokingham Borough Council (WBC), RBWM and Reading Borough Council.
All four local authorities must come up with a combined strategy for future production of minerals.
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A report revealed there are “insufficient minerals sites to meet needs identified”, leading to the two other sites being put forward for consideration.
Residents will get the opportunity to have their say on the new sites proposed through a consultation which runs between Monday, February 10 and Friday, March 20.
The go-ahead is required from all four local authorities before the consultation gets underway.
WBC is set to approve the consultation at a meeting this evening (Thursday, January 30).
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