CAMPAIGNERS are bracing themselves for their last ditch attempt to halt an extension to Hafod Quarry in Johnstown.
Members of Hafod Environmental Group have been battling for eight years to prevent further tipping at the site, and the final showdown comes at a High Court hearing in Cardiff on November 30.
A planning application for the infilling of Hafod Quarry with domestic, commercial and industrial refuse was refused by the former Clwyd County Council, but following a planning inquiry permission was granted by the Welsh Secretary on appeal in July 1995.
In February. 2010, group chair man Pauline Smout submitted a challenge in the High Court against the decision of the Welsh Ministers to confirm two Modification Orders in respect of planning permissions granted in 1995 and 1998 for landfilling of waste at the quarry.
The effect of the orders was to exclude land within the quarry area which also fell within the Johnstown Newt Sites Special Area of Conservation, designated in 2004.
Last December the High Court dismissed the challenge brought by Mrs Smout, upholding the decision of the Welsh Ministers.
Mrs Smout then applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the decision of the judge in the High Court and was granted leave to go ahead.
The challenge will be heard later this month.
Meanwhile, the group has been busy raising money to finance the appeal and has a target figure of £3,500.
They have appointed two barristers specialising in planning and environmental law and need to foot the bill for their expenses.
The main fundraising event will be a hotpot supper at Johnstown Community Centre on Friday, November 11.
The evening will feature a promises auction and the group has also been running a raffle, which carries a £100 first prize.
Mrs Smout said: “We are trying to prevent an extension of the life of the tip of up to 35 years.
“The tip is very close to homes and there are problems with smell, dust and seagulls.”
She added: “Our aim is to raise a total of £3,500 to cover the legal expenses of our latest challenge in the High Court.
“This is our last ditch appeal and we must win it.
“All our fundraising efforts wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our own hardworking members and of the wider communities of Ruabon, Johnstown, Esclusham and Erbistock, which are all affected by the quarry.
“I would like to thank them all.”
A spokesman for Cory Environmental, which owns the quarry, said: “Cory is not directly involved in the appeal hearing on November 30.
“The case being appealed relates to the modification orders that were made by Wrexham Council and confirmed by the Welsh Ministers.”