THE owners of a West Fife quarry want permission to continue for another 10 years and extract almost five million tonnes of high quality stone.

Collier Quarrying and Recycling Ltd aim to "expand the business line" at Easter Bucklyvie and supply hot asphalt to councils and contractors for road surfacing.

The company own Goathill Quarry, at Donibristle, between Crossgates and Aberdour, and have also tabled plans to Fife Council relating to a waste transfer station and composting operation, five settlement ponds, a storage shed and testing laboratory, and a concrete batching plant.

Colliers bought the land and obtained permission in 2010 to operate a rock quarry for 15 years until 2025, with a further 18 months for restoration.

They supply materials for construction works and want to extend the timescale to 25 and a half years, and extract 4.95 million tonnes of quartz-dolerite stone, taking them up to 2035-36.

Operations would involve surface extraction methods and include stone crushing.

The extension will also support new ventures and a statement on their behalf said: "The proposed asphalt plant would be established for many years, being the term of the quarry operation and a recognised supplier of stone and concrete into the Fife and Lothian areas.

"Its position close to the A92 and M90 roads allows a wide distribution area.

"The quarry at present provides support to plants within the central belt of Scotland, supplying raw materials to other operators with asphalt plants.

"The proposed asphalt plant would bring this operation in-house and provide an independent supplier in the Fife area."

The hours of operation would "require to be flexible as many road contracts typically require deliveries of asphalt when the major roads are least busy, this is often overnight and at weekends".

It said that "extra care" would be taken to minimise noise generation.

There is already a waste transfer station on site but there are revised plans to allow for the temporary storage of waste from a distillery.

It would arrive, in filter cake form, for composting and then be transported to farms for spreading on fields as organic manure.

An odour management plan is included.

A landscaped acoustic bund to help reduce the noise of operations for nearby communities is proposed and, if all the applications are approved, a number of existing buildings and structures at the quarry will be used.

The long term aim, after operations have ceased, is to restore the land and turn the area into a country park.