Residents of Ołobok do not want a gravel pit to be opened in their locality. They raised the alarm after drilling was carried out in the village. The Village Meeting in Ołobok adopted a resolution reading:
In connection with receiving information about the intention to extract minerals (gravel) in Ołobok, the village meeting on 29 September 2021, pursuant to the Act of 3 October 2008, expresses its firm opposition to the planned project.
The resolution is being sent for information to the Osiecznica Municipal Council and Mayor, Bolesławiec County, and the Marshal's Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
They are collecting signatures as part of the opposition
The residents of Ołobok have also sent a letter and are collecting signatures against the extraction of the deposit in their locality. They fear the potential gravel pit's negative impact on the surrounding area, damage to the Ołobok–Parowa road caused by heavy trucks, problems with wells running dry, problems with the water supply to nearby forests and ponds, and the investment's generally negative impact on the ecosystem.
The area where, according to residents, the gravel pit would be created is covered by the “Natura 2000” programme. They also believe that the drilling was probably carried out unlawfully, without the presence of the plot owners. Residents claim that the deposits are located 300 metres from buildings. They also point to the lack of public consultation on the matter.
They included the above concerns in a letter addressed to the Mayor of Osiecznica Municipality. The letter with signatures is also to be sent for information to Osiecznica Municipality, Bolesławiec County, the Marshal's Office in Wrocław, the Lower Silesian Voivode, the Voivodeship Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Wrocław, and the Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments in Wrocław.
We received photographs from Łukasz Szuchalski showing the road in Ołobok on which heavy trucks would allegedly travel, as well as photographs of the areas where the gravel pit would allegedly be created:
What do the Osiecznica municipal authorities say?
The Mayor of Osiecznica Municipality, Wlademar Nalazek, states in a statement sent to the editorial office of the istotne.pl portal and newspaper:
In response to the request for information concerning the issue discussed at the Village Meeting held in Ołobok, I would kindly inform you that, in accordance with both the provisions of the current local spatial development plan and the new local plan currently under preparation, it is not possible to begin extracting the deposits.
Neither the current plan nor the new plan under preparation (agreed and reviewed by the statutory institutions) includes any areas designated for the extraction of deposits in the area concerned.
The mere approval by the Marshal of a documented deposit does not authorise extraction to begin in this area.
Understanding the residents' concerns, I assure you that the local government authorities will not take any action that could in any way worsen the living conditions of the local community.
Yours sincerely,
Mayor of Osiecznica Municipality
Waldemar Nalazek
Updated 18 October 2021
On 18 October, a letter expressing the residents' opposition to the extraction of the deposit in Ołobok was submitted to Osiecznica Municipality. Over three days (14–16 October), residents of Parowa Sołectwo collected 431 signatures on the matter, which they attached to the submitted protest.