AN appeal for more time to extract stone from Dry Rigg quarry at Helwith Bridge has won approval from national park planners.

An application to extract gritstone for a further four-and-a-half years to the end of 2009 was recommended for refusal at Tuesday's meeting of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's planning committee.

But support from the local community, which resulted in a petition containing more than 1,200 signatures, saw the majority of members voting in favour of the scheme.

The application, from quarry owners Lafarge Aggregates, showed changes to the operating procedures and the restoration and after-care of the site. These were summarised as: limiting road haulage from 7.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday with no weekend deliveries; removal of roadstone coating plant by mid 2004; a restoration scheme to create a raised bog and upland wetland and fen system; and an extended 20-year after-care period to 2030 with the establishment of a management committee.

At present Lafarge is due to cease operation at the site in two years, but it asked for more time to extract the 1.5 million tonnes of unworked gritstone reserves.

It stressed the application was not an extension to the amount of quarrying at the site, but for more time to extract the quantity of stone already anticipated.

"We don't want to take any more stone out of the quarry, just continue taking out what was always intended," said assistant manager Mik Cardus.

The site currently employs 15 full-time workers, but taking into account hauliers and ancillary workers the number of people affected is nearer 40.

In addition, Lafarge is funding a partnership with Settle High School to monitor wildlife trends around the site.

Settle vicar, Rev Stuart Ridley, told Tuesday's meeting he had seen a great deal of anxiety in the community over the future of the quarry.

"Many people are naturally worried about their jobs," he said.

Craven district councillor Richard Welch, speaking as a local resident, said there had been no objections from consultees other than the national park authority. Even English Nature was satisfied that its initial concerns about the impact on Swarth Moor Site of Special Scientific Interest had been addressed.

Committee member Roger Harrison-Topham added: "I've never seen a clearer-cut case where a common-sense answer has been so against policy."

Nancy Stedman opposed the scheme saying Dry Rigg was not the only place to get rock. She said she suspected that in 2008 the quarry would come back with another application to continue working.

However, Peter Watson, head of planning at the national park authority, said: "Members have balanced the existing policies with the strong local support for the quarry, as well as the plans to improve the wildlife habitats of the area following the end of quarrying in 2010. In doing so they have indicated that they want to approve this application in the hope of securing benefits for the long-term natural environment of the area while supporting the local economy of the Yorkshire Dales National Park."

A spokesman for Lafarge Aggregates told the Herald: "We believe that the impact of the short extension of time for removing the remaining mineral is clearly outweighed by the package of benefits put forward by the company which include enhanced quarry restoration and other measures."

After the meeting, Jim Cunnington, former chairman of the Association of Rural Communities (ARC) said he was concerned that three members of the planning committee who were Secretary of State appointees could not see people's livelihoods were an important consideration and voted against the application.

Because the committee's decision went against officer recommendation, the application must now be brought back to be reconsidered at the next meeting of the planning committee in line with national park policy. The next meeting is at Middleham Key Centre on April 8.

If approved the application will then be forwarded to the Secretary of State for consideration.