Single complaint halts work at 40-year-old gravel pit in southern Denmark

Operations at the Nørre Hostrup gravel pit near Rødekro have been suspended again after a single neighbor filed a complaint, Danish broadcaster DR reports.

The 105-hectare site, which has been in operation for more than 40 years and extracts up to 300,000 cubic meters of sand, gravel and stone annually, is owned by the company Kudsk & Dahl. Under Danish law, work must stop while the complaint is processed.

Region Syddanmark, which renewed the company’s extraction permit, now intends to seek a dispensation from the Environmental and Food Appeals Board so that extraction can continue during the case.

The same resident has filed complaints multiple times before, causing repeated work stoppages, according to the report.

Poul Erik Jensen (Social Democrat), chair of the region’s environment, mobility and education committee, described the situation as critical for society. “This is one of the really large gravel pits that supplies the construction industry and major infrastructure projects. If they cannot deliver, production stops,” he said.

Lars Andreasen, owner of E. Krag Råstoffer, said his company already faces higher demand than supply in southern Jutland. “We have many customers who are on waiting lists, or we simply have to say no to larger projects because we cannot deliver the materials they need,” he said. His firm has been forced to increase imports of raw materials.

Allan Jacobsen, director of Meldgaard Holding, which receives materials from the pit, said the stoppage affects his company’s delivery guarantees and ability to source the correct materials for construction sites.

Bjarke Fjeldsted, head of construction and infrastructure at the Confederation of Danish Industry, said the situation forces longer transport distances, which is costly for both the climate and the economy. DI has called for a political review of the entire raw materials sector.

The complaint concerns noise nuisance from the gravel pit and the region’s handling of the case. The neighbor’s lawyer confirmed the complaint had been filed and said they are awaiting the appeals board’s processing. Neither the neighbor nor Kudsk & Dahl agreed to be interviewed.

Jensen acknowledged the complainant’s right to a fair assessment but argued that due to the critical societal need, a dispensation should be granted.

Tags: Gravel mining, Complaint, Building materials