CAMPAIGNERS against controversial plans for a quarrying development at Broom Court Farm were given an 11th hour reprieve last week.

Villagers and councillors are celebrating after mineral company Cemex withdrew its application to extend its current site at Marsh Farm quarry in Salford Priors to extract sand and gravel from the site at Broom Court Farm, planned to last five-and-a-half years.

In an unprecedented move, the firm instructed its agents White Young Green to formally cancel the request to Warwickshire County Council.

A letter from White Young Green to the county council's planning department said although Cemex was accustomed to objections against applications, this case was particularly disappointing as they had always striven to build up and maintain good relations with residents and the local liaison group.

It said: "Our clients are anxious not to jeopardise what they perceive to be a good standing in the locality by continuing to promote a development which has proven to be contentious."

And an official statement from Cemex said the company had decided to withdraw the application "after reviewing the company's requirements for future reserves."

Bidford residents hit out against the application on the grounds it would affect the health of villagers for the next 10 years through noise and pollution.

Walter Stafford, spokesman for Bidford on Avon Residents Group (BARG), thanked everyone who had objected and claimed the reasons for the withdrawal were not those given in the letter to the county council. He suggested the real reason was Cemex would have done irreparable damage to the water system on the site if they had gone ahead.

He added: "Had they been really concerned about maintaining goodwill and their standing in the community, when Bidford and Salford voted by more than 98 per cent against the plans in the summer of this year, that was the time to withdraw their application. Had we met them at an inquiry we are confident we would have won."

Mr Stafford said BARG planned to continue to monitor the Marsh Farm site closely, and would work with neighbouring villages to help them if a similar situation should arise elsewhere in the area.