Jobs boost as Grundon opens new Wallingford quarry

Published by

Nicky Godding

Grundon Sand & Gravel has officially opened New Barn Farm Quarry, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, bringing six new jobs to the local area.

The company has invested £6 million in the 66-acre site, which will provide gravel and a variety of sands for the building, construction, leisure and landscaping sectors, as well as allowing local families to buy directly from its facility.

Grundon Sand & Gravel’s general manager, Andy Bright, said: “We are very pleased to have offered new employment opportunities and also to be able to welcome the public through our gates for their own gardening and landscaping requirements, no matter how big or small.

“We believe New Barn Farm Quarry will prove a valuable resource for the region’s housebuilding and construction industries, allowing us to continue to be seen as a leading supplier of sands and aggregates.”

Among the range of gravels for sale will be an exclusive new Golden Harvest Gravel. It blends shades of gold, bronze and cream and is ideal for areas with high footfall, such as driveways and car parks, as well as landscaping areas.

The £6m investment at New Barn Farm Quarry, located between Wallingford and Cholsey, includes new heavy-duty wheeled loading shovels, a new weighbridge area and an on-site grading and washing facility.

An estimated 2.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel is expected be extracted over the next 18 years and, once quarry operations are complete, a 20-year conservation and restoration programme will be put in place.

Grundon purchased the site in July 2015 and gained planning permission in November 2018. Grundon Sand & Gravel already operates three other quarries in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Hampshire.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.