A major expansion of a quarry in an area of ancient woodland is set to be discussed by councillors – but their proposed response has angered campaigners.

Kent County Council (KCC) has been consulting on its proposed new Kent Minerals and Waste Plan, and members of Maidstone’s planning, infrastructure and economic development policy advisory committee are invited to share their view at a meeting tomorrow (Wednesday).

But in fact, they will only be invited to “ratify” the response that cabinet member for planning, Cllr Paul Cooper (Con), has submitted.

KCC is proposing to allow Gallagher Aggregates Hermitage Quarry in Barming to expand by 96 hectares, to extract a further 20 million tonnes of ragstone.

It would help secure 190 jobs and bridge the gap of a predicted shortfall of hard rock extraction in the county over the next 16 years – an estimated 17.4 million tons up to 2039.

But protesters say it would result in further loss of Oaken Wood, designated as ancient woodland, as well as large swathes of farmland.

The government’s National Planning Policy Framework requires that “development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats (such as ancient woodland and ancient or veteran trees) should be refused, unless there are wholly exceptional reasons and a suitable compensation strategy exists.”

The national charity, The Woodland Trust, organised an online petition against the expansion, which attracted more than 25,000 signatures, but there have been plenty of more local opponents too.

Maidstone council’s response to KCC, however, is to support the expansion of the quarry provided it was accompanied by a condition requiring “the reinstatement of habitats following the completion of extraction.”

The council’s response has infuriated local Green campaigner Rachel Rodwell, who said: “For the council to suggest that ancient woodland can be reinstated demonstrates a complete lack of understanding about the nature of ancient woodland.

“They say the expansion ‘could' cause harm to the biodiversity – what a willful ignorance of the devastating impact that this expansion would have upon the local wildlife!”

Ms Rodwell, who has already launched a petition against the quarry expansion, as well as writing and performing a protest song on the issue, and leading a walk around Oaken Wood, said: “There is no satisfactory 'mitigation' that could 'restore' the lost habitat and the lack of reference to the ancient woodland soil which would be disturbed and degraded makes me question whether this council has grasped the most rudimentary aspects of ecology.

“The ancient woodland soil in Oaken Wood has taken hundreds of years to form and the lack of disturbance over this time has led to a hugely complex and diverse ecosystem. Ancient woodland soil, by its very nature, is irreplaceable.”

Gallaghers Aggregates insists it carefully removes and sets aside the Ancient Woodland top soil, before quarrying the rock, and then restores the soil afterward once the void has been back-filled.

It said the proposal would not create a bigger void, but would rather result in the void slowly moving across the landscape, with the area restored and replanted behind it.

The consultation period ends on July 25.