Like many Preesall and Knott-End residents, I’m really concerned by the health implications of the proposal to build a quarry in the village off Bourbles Lane.

Today I have written to Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, Director of Public Health at Lancashire County Council to set out my concerns and to ask that they complete a full health impact assessment for the area. You can read my letter below.

There are two schools within 2km of the proposed site, and Fleetwood’s Charity Primary School is within a 1km radius of the proposed site. There are nursing homes and a higher than average population of older people and pensioners as many people choose to retire to this coastal area – which is home to a huge diversity of wildlife, flora and fauna.

Currently the Over Wyre Medical Centre has a population of 11,435 residents. Of those, 477 patients have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and there are 815 patients on the Asthma Register. Worryingly, 1361 patients use bronchio-dilators or inhaled corticosteroids – in other words, 12% of patients on Over Wyre Medical Centre books need an inhaler.

It’s crucial that a full health impact assessment gets completed to protect the community.