THE future of the hills was in the balance 50 years ago, as a public inquiry looked into the question of quarrying.

Described in the Gazette as "the battle between economics and aesthetics", the inquiry brought together the quarry owners "who maintained that the national need for the stone and the employment created locally justified their request to extend their operations" and representatives of local authorities "who contended that the amenities of the hills were being threatened and that they were more important than other material considerations".