Lingarabay (also Lingerabay or Lingerbay; gd, Lingreabhagh) is a small coastal settlement on

Harris Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It is located on the rocky east coast of

South Harris Harris ( gd, Na Hearadh, ) is the southern and more mountainous part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. Although not an island itself, Harris is often referred to in opposition to the ''Isle of Lewis'' as t ...

, about northeast of Rodel. It was the subject of one of the area's longest controversies (see Harris Super Quarry). The original ' superquarry'

planning application Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

, submitted in 1991, was to extract 600 million tonnes of

anorthosite Anorthosite () is a phaneritic, intrusive igneous rock characterized by its composition: mostly plagioclase feldspar (90–100%), with a minimal mafic component (0–10%). Pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, and olivine are the mafic minerals most ...

rock over a period of 60 years, from Roineabhal, an isolated area of South Harris in the Western Isles. The proposal prompted numerous objections and led to the formation of a body called the Link Quarry Group (LQG). The Quarry Group was concerned about the quarry's location in a designated National Scenic Area, questions over the sustainability of extracting vast quantities of rock for use in

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

construction, the potential for marine pollution from the increased

shipping Freight transport, also referred as ''Freight Forwarding'', is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

traffic and impacts on the

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

of the area including a pair of

golden eagles The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known birds ...

. Due to the concerns raised the Scottish Executive held a Public Local Inquiry in Stornoway, which ran over 9 months from October 1994 until June 1995. It was then a further four years before the recommendations from the inquiry were completed and submitted to the Scottish Executive. Finally, in November 2000

Sam Galbraith Samuel Laird Galbraith (18 October 1945 – 18 August 2014) was a Scottish politician and neurosurgeon who served as Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture from 2000 to 2001 and Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Galbra ...

Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture The Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform was a cabinet post in the Scottish Government. The Cabinet Secretary was supported by the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, who also reported to the ...

(including responsibility for Planning) turned down the application. In 2001, a second inquiry was held into the legal validity of a consent apparently granted in 1965. Scottish Ministers decide that a consent was granted for a small

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

rather than the large area claimed by the applicants. The applicants lodged an appeal with the Court of Session, arguing that no redetermination of the 1991 application should take place until this appeal was decided. In January 2004 the decision by Scottish Ministers, that the 1965 consent relates to a small area of quarrying activity was upheld. In April 2004

Lafarge La Farge, LaFarge or Lafarge can refer to: People * Antoinette LaFarge (1966–), American artist and writer * Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), American architect and partner in the firm Heins & LaFarge * Christopher Grant La Farge ( ...

decided to withdraw their 1991 application and announced their intention to drop their proposals for the site. As in several other environmental controversies in Scotland, the Ròineabhal question was argued on both sides by parties not resident in the country.

References

{{Coord, 57, 45, 37, N, 6, 55, 55, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Villages in Harris, Outer Hebrides Mines in Scotland