On a quick rush round the UK last week to see the French Property exhibition in Harrogate, we called in for some English fish and chips with mushy peas. My friend Alan is doing the official food tasting in this video…
There are more videos of our ale-fueled odyssey at www.Twiku.com
So, Alan is still with us, you could have told me I’d have sent him a plate of bouillebaisse! luv, Ray
Tony
Just wondered if you have any thoughts about the proposed quarry in Nizas? I’m sure you have!
Hello Margaret
There has been a quarry for the stone from the volcanic rock to the South and West of Nizas probably since Roman times – much of the building of Pezenas and all surrounding villages is constructed from this basalt. It is good quality basalt, I understand, an “inversion” of volcanic flow from 5 million years ago flowing along the old river so there is a stream of basalt on top of gravel.
The quarrying has been developed and is important for road and railway construction, it is, I am told the only basalt quarry in the South of France which has a railway line directly into it.
In the 19th and 20th century and possibly earlier, it was an important source of income and work – unemployed people were given work there to earn a dole.
Certainly in the ten years we lived in Nizas, from 1994 to 2004 the quarry was working at capacity and we could hear the crushing plant when the wind was from the south.
I understand large areas of land surrounding the existing workings, including the airstrip outside Nizas, are owned by the quarry and planned to be developed to extract the stone.
This will bring the workings several hundred yards nearer to Nizas and will increase the probability of noise and dust when the wind is from the south.
It is important to point out that the dominant wind is from the north or north west, wind from the current direction of the quarry is about 3 days a month I understand.
If the current rate of extraction is continued, I believe the working operation will continue for about 15 years – it is not clear if then the extraction of the underlying gravel will be allowed or will be viable – I assume it will be.
I have been to many meetings opposing the quarry – there was an active group up to 2001 – I was concerned that a lot of the opposition used exaggerated statements such as “washing blacked with dust” – this weakened the credibility of the group.
My personal opinion is that this is not a problem, it is an irrelevant issue – the amount of nuisance, noise and inconvenience is nothing compared to any person living in any large town or city or within 500 meters of a main road. There is far more dust and noise from the treatment and harvesting of the vines surrounding Nizas, including a lot of chemical dust, pesticides etc. This is imply a fact of life in a farming community – the quarry has been there a lot longer than the vineyards.
It is where it is because it cannot be anywhere else and it has been there a long time. It cannot be moved and the basalt is needed to improve the lives of many people.
The quarry will eventually be worked out and the owners are then legally obliged to renovate the site – often this will bring useful facilities, lakes, leisure parks etc.
Just my 2cents
Tony
Other top UK eateries that may be of interest:
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/