RESIDENTS are being reminded the deadline is fast-approaching to submit comments for quarry extension plans near Romsey.

The application, tabled by Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd, seeks to extend Roke Manor Quarry in Salisbury Road, Shootash.

If given the green light, around 600,000 tonnes of sand and gravel will be extracted from the Stanbridge Ranvilles Extension, according to a document submitted to Hampshire County Council (HCC).

Work on the site would start at 7am and finish at 6pm from Monday to Friday, while on Saturday it would begin at 8am and conclude at 12.30pm.

The deadline for residents to send in their comments on the plans is Friday, June 11, and should be emailed to planning@hants.gov.uk.

This comes after the plans raised fears over noisy machines - with Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) warning it is "very concerning" for some residents, a report found.

A TVBC document revealed the predicted level of noise "would be up to 18 dB above the existing background sound level", according to the local authority's environmental health manager, Mark Lee.

He warned this indicates a "very substantial impact and is very concerning", adding the noise will at times be "well above the guideline limit of up to 10 dB above background".

Mr Lee stressed the properties which may hear more than 10 dB are 2 Roke Manor Farm Cottages, Croylands and Troy House.

Before this, furious residents slammed the proposals, with one man claiming three 200-year-old oak trees will be axed.

Others fear they will be forced to endure hours of noisy machines at work and some believe piles of soil will ruin the view from a popular footpath if the plans get the go-ahead.

However, a spokesperson from Raymond Brown Quarry Products Ltd insisted the extension will secure work for their employees for another five years.

They said: "The extension area contains circa 600,000 tonnes of high quality sand and gravel, which, if approved, will secure supplies of aggregates to local construction projects and the livelihoods of our employees for an additional five years.

"[...] There is a clear and pressing need for additional mineral reserves to support the wider economy in this particular part of the county and Roke Manor Quarry is ideally placed to continue to meet that local demand."

They added: "The proposed extension has been carefully designed to minimise impacts on both the environment and the local community and, upon restoration, will be returned to agriculture with enhanced wildlife habitat, exceeding national standards for Biodiversity Net Gain."