CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans to dump hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rubbish in a disused quarry hope the site's natural beauty will halt the project.

Members of Staffordshire County Council's planning committee are due to tour Huntley Wood Quarry, near Cheadle, on Tuesday in connection with an application to create a 170-acre dumping ground.

Construction firm Spectre Developments claims it needs to import 360,000 cubic metres of inert waste to level the area to create an 18-hole golf course.

However, villagers living nearby are concerned the fairways and greens will never come to fruition, despite a £700,000 guarantee.

And it is now claimed the area, which was quarried for sand and gravel for 60 years until 2002, has evolved into a site of special scientific significance with limited development potential.

Thirty residents attended a meeting at The Huntsman, in Brookhouse, Cheadle, last Thursday, to formulate an action plan to prevent the scheme from going ahead.

Cheadle Town Councillor Gary Bentley said people living nearby feared that a 'beautiful' site would be lost to the community forever.

He said: "The old quarry is a natural beauty spot and many folk enjoy taking their dogs for a walk along a public footpath. It seems such a shame to fill it with rubbish. Everyone at the meeting would be delighted if the site was actually going to be converted into a golf course but there are concerns that is simply never going to happen."

The protesters are now writing letters to each member of the Stafford-based authority's planning team to outline their objections.

The application had been recommended for approval earlier this month.

However, the final vote was deferred until November because councillors on the committee wanted to visit the site.

Cheadle MP Bill Cash said: "The planning committee must look at the site now to recognise this plan is entirely inappropriate.

"Many of us do believe the proposed golf course is an excuse to dump the waste.

"These concerns must be answered by the planning committee when they investigate for themselves. This proposal must go no further."

Concerns have been raised about heavy goods traffic along narrow rural lanes after Spectre confirmed it would utilise 80 lorries per working day for the next two years.

But Councillor Chris Wright, chairman of Dilhorne Parish Council, is also worried about the potential impact on an allegedly burgeoning population of Great Crested Newt.

As a European Protected Species it is illegal to disturb the creature's habitat in any way.

Mrs Wright said: "There is a network of pools with high potential running through Commonside wood to Huntley quarry and residents within this area have recorded Great Crested Newt in their garden pools.

"There is a far greater population within this area than has been recorded. We are concerned the disturbance of land will be extremely detrimental."

When the Post & Times asked Spectre founder Oliver Speight if it was the firm's intention to build a golf course, he referred to the planning application.