Localities and the international trade in aggregates: Coastal superquarries on the horizon?

Since the 1970s, trends in environmental regulation, demand and industrial organisation seemed to be pushing major European urban regions towards sour cing a growing proportion of their aggregates requirements from beyond thei r borders, encouraging interest in massive 'superquarries' located in remot e coastal areas. In practice, this anticipated expansion of international t rade in crushed rock! has been slow to materialise: a downswing in demand i n England and Germany has coincided with public resistance to coastal super quarry development in parts of northern Europe. Future trends in aggregates sourcing will( likewise depend on the interplay between,een economic proce sses and policies for sustainable development across all levels of governme nt. Any future increase in the international trade in crushed rock is likel y, to be supplied from existing coastal quarrying locations, especially in Norway.