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Hope Construction Materials, the independent supplier of aggregates and concrete, has opened its first new, greenfield quarry as part of its UK development plan.
Black Cat Quarry on the A1 Black Cat roundabout near Roxton in Bedfordshire will supply more than 100,000 tonnes of sand and gravel each year to use in concrete for building and construction across the Northern Home Counties.
The new quarry represents a £1.5 million investment by Hope including a state-of-the-art sand and gravel processing plant. Up to ten colleagues will be employed at the new site including a manager, processing plant operators, digger and dumper drivers, plus contract delivery drivers.
The opening of Black Cat Quarry complements Hope’s existing operations at Willington and will help ensure a supply of aggregates to Hope’s readymix concrete plants in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, as well as sand and gravel into the regional market.
As the Black Cat site is progressively worked, Hope Construction Materials will complete a phased restoration to enhance local biodiversity in keeping with the Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Action Plan and the West Anglian Plain Natural Area. The company has also made an ongoing commitment to restoration work to improve flood relief around the River Great Ouse.
Clive Rillstone, Hope’s Regional Director for the South said: “At just 18 months old Hope Construction Materials is still a young company and we are delighted to have reached this significant landmark.
“Black Cat is the company’s first new quarry development, securing our aggregates supply in the vital Home Counties market for the next few years. It helps us to remain competitive in the supply of local concrete and represents a significant step forward for the business.
