Heidelberg Materials has submitted plans for a new concrete batching plant and associated cement and aggregate storage infrastructure at Shap Beck Quarry. The proposed development includes 0.4 hectares within the existing 118-hectare Quarry, situated ~2km north of Shap village. The project will reintroduce ready-mixed concrete manufacturing at the site, following the closure of its previous batching facility in 1992.
The scheme involves relocating and refurbishing an existing McCrory 80 modular wet-batch concrete plant from Heidelberg Materials’ Cannington facility in Somerset. The new plant will have a production capacity of ~60 cubic metres of ready-mixed concrete per hour, with an initial anticipated annual output of ~40,000 cubic metres.
The development will include two 100-tonne cement storage silos, reaching ~12.9 metres in height, alongside four 30-tonne aggregate bins, four additional aggregate storage bays, covered conveyor systems, a concrete mixing tower, batching equipment and dedicated loading facilities. Concrete production will involve mixing cement, sand, crushed aggregates and water within an enclosed, computer-controlled wet-batching system before transferring the finished product directly into delivery vehicles. The operation is expected to require ~11,000 tonnes of imported cement and up to 35,000 tonnes of sand annually, alongside cement substitutes including ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS).