APART from the huge impact on health, local produce, local amenities and natural environment – which would cost many millions to counter – we all have a moral duty to to preserve and protect this internationally acclaimed landscape for future generations, as part of their heritage.

Some things are more important than money and quotas.

The unique natural beauty of the ancient Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is world famous, having inspired many famous poets, artists, writers and film makers and its special landscape has provided location for many blockbuster films.

This in turn supports the local economy with employment and tourism. We have something rare in our landscape to be proud of.

Far from being gouged and blasted out in exchange for money and a tick in a box against someone's quota, this area should be recognised and protected like all other international natural treasures.

It must also be considered that the neighbouring Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty along the Wye Valley has its famous and prestigious status in part due to the panorama of the very hill tops that are now under threat of decimation.

Once the damage is done to this special and rare place of distinction it will be irreversible and lost forever.

This area also has a richly diverse flora and fauna for which there are many regulations and safeguards to ensure it is protected.

This includes local residents having to pay hundreds, often thousands, of pounds on ecological and conservation surveys etc when applying for planning permission to avoid even the slightest possibility of disturbance.

If such devastation of the environment were allowed to go ahead then it would make a complete nonsense of such planning regulations and policy.

More importantly it would destroy the natural habitat for many rare species. This would be abhorrent and unthinkable under any circumstances, let alone for such a crass motive as commercial gain and greed.

The existing quarrying is already a heavy enough burden in the area on many aspects of life.

Health of both humans and animals will be further adversely affected by an increase in noise, dust, and increased traffic fumes, which in turn will have a significant effect on local produce as the pollutants enter the food chain.  This is a monumental 'chancer' of a proposal loosely disguised as a dutiful fulfilling of a national quota.

However it is quite clearly motivated purely by the personal gain of just a few at the cost of so many.

On so many levels this is wrong and cannot be allowed to happen anymore than it could or would happen in the Cotswolds.

Is nothing sacred anymore?

– Rachel Bromford, St Briavels Common.