A CONSULTATION period on plans to extract millions of tonnes of gravel and sand from five new sites in the Water Park has come to an end.

Residents were warned they could do nothing to stop the 14-year blueprint produced by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council, but had a last chance to challenge any technical points.

Now that window has closed a report based on the feedback will be compiled and presented to Wiltshire Council cabinet by June.

The document sets out how land will be used across the Wiltshire part of the Water Park for the provision of more than a million tonnes of gravel and sand per year to meet demand up to 2026.

Of seven sites allocated, five are in Upper Thames Valley, including Cox’s Farm and Blackburr Farm near Marston Meysey, North Farm near Cricklade, land east of Calcutt and land at Cotswold Community near Ashton Keynes.

There is a fear that the plans could increase the large number of heavy goods vehicles already on local roads.

Wiltshire councillor for Cricklade, Latton and Marston Meysey, Peter Colmer said: "There’d be a higher degree of concentration of HGV traffic going through Cricklade and knock-on effects for Purton, Latton and Marston Meysey."

A ten to twenty year plan for further gravel extraction across Gloucestershire is expected later this year.