Stop Dolbebin.

My main concern about the planned extraction is the impact on the environment. Timescales which have already been stated tell us that an initial extraction of 150,000 tonnes of slate will take eight years, and cause untold damage to the countryside.

As the child of a geologist and an environmentalist, I have a great love of nature, and am devastated that this rich and varied landscape - along with all the wildlife it supports - could be destroyed. The slate tips are home to many varieties of trees and plants, which form the habitat of birds, bats, and other small mammals such as squirrels. It is abundant in amphibians such as frogs, toads, lizards and newts, as well as countless insects and invertebrates. All these animals will either be displaced or killed, either by the workings, or in their endeavours to find a new habitat.

There are also issues concerning local residents, among them, the elderly, and families with very young children, who reside within 200m of the proposed development. If this planning application goes ahead, they will be suffering almost a decade of constant noise, and massive health risks caused by invasive slate dust.

This area is rich in local history and industrial archaeology left over from the mining days, and it is slowly beginning to open up to tourism, supporting new local businesses, and outdoor pursuits such as walking and diving. All of this potential for growth will be destroyed if this planning application goes ahead. Who would want to visit this beautiful valley if all they could hear was the grinding and clanking of machines, and be forced to breathe in the endless dust that would come from the crushing and removal of the slate? We would be condemning the potential this valley has to death.