The argument is sometimes put forward that quarries bring local employment.  This argument does not stand up to examination.

For a start, quarries are not large employers, they only employ a small number of people with the expert drivers probably continuing to live where they are settled and then driving in.

The Clanfield/Bampton area and its surrounding villages has a flourishing, largely unseen, tourist trade supporting its many B & Bs, pubs, hotels, restaurants, village shops, garden centres, etc.

Research in Oxfordshire in 2009 showed 1,383,000 nights were spent in the area and there were 3,550,000 day trips.  Tourism was worth around £249 million and supported 4,800 jobs in the district.  These figures illustrate how important tourism is to the community and the WODC strategy is:-

‘To develop and promote the Oxfordshire Cotswolds as a must-see visitor destination and further develop sustainable tourism in West Oxfordshire to enhance the quality of life for local people whilst encouraging visitors to come to the area, spend more, stay longer and return.’

Will these visitors visit our lovely countryside, historic towns and villages, ‘spend more, stay longer and return’ if the countryside is industrialised by ugly quarries and the roads are choked by fleets of lorries?

We can only see loss of trade and employment.