Equipment has been spotted being taken into Dean Quarry near St Keverne, giving rise to questions over whether blasting is to begin again.

Owners Shire Oak Quarries Limited has until October 8 to work rock at the quarry “at substantive levels” or else be forced to begin the process of restoring the land leading to permanent closure of the quarry.

This is because if a sufficient level of mining or quarrying has not been carried at the site by that time, it could be considered a “permanent cessation of mining operations” thereby revoking Shire Oak’s mineral planning rights. Currently Dean Quarry has consent until 2035 to quarry 6.3 million tonnes of high density rock known as gabbro.

Complications arise, however, in the fact that a judicial review back in December effectively started that in order to reach the necessary levels to be “substantive”, an environmental impact assessment was necessary – something that Shire Oak Quarries has not currently submitted.

Campaign group Cornwall Against Dean Superquarry (CADS) has vowed to continue fighting any contravention of this and take action accordingly.

Spokesman Alison McGregor told the Helston Packet: “We are monitoring the situation pretty much minute by minute, day by day. If they overstep anything in planning law we’ll be down on them like a tonne of bricks.

“That applies to Shire Oak Quarries and Cornwall Council, if there’s any contravention of planning law, judicial review or high court judgement; any attempt to circumnavigate the environmental impact assessment judgement.”

CADS has asked people in the area to report any activity at the quarry, after a digger and a mobile office were delivered there last week.

On its Facebook page it asks: “Please could everyone keep a close eye on any equipment and personnel entering Dean Quarry between now and October 8, 2016?

“If at all possible, take photographs of any such activity as it enters Dean Quarry. Time and dates are essentially needed too.

“CADS would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that unauthorised entry into Dean Quarry is prohibited. CADS also need everyone to record the times and dates if any blasting takes place at Dean Quarry. All evidence should be submitted to info@cads2015.com.”

However, a spokesman for Shire Oak Quarries told the Packet: “The equipment which has arrived on site this week is related to the environmental enhancement works that we are undertaking on the site and which are part of the planning conditions. This includes the creation of a number of ponds to encourage the existing natural wildlife including dragonflies and damselflies, which has been found there.

“We have an existing consent to operate Dean Quarry and we will work with the planning authorities to ensure that we comply with that permission.”

Shire Oak has submitted two retrospective applications Cornwall Council asking for opinion on how much screening was needed for its perimeter fence at the quarry and whether an environmental impact assessment was needed for it.