Wellington Civic Society today declared war on UK Coal over plans for a huge opencast mining project in the shadow of The Wrekin, claiming it would be “corporate vandalism”.It also says it would blight some of Shropshire’s most precious countryside.
The controversy is over a planning application to mine 900,000 tonnes of material at Huntington and New Works.
UK Coal says 40 jobs would be created directly by the scheme, which would also support 50 jobs.
The land has been mined previously and the company says working it again, then repairing the ground properly, would improve the site.
The civic society today joined mounting opposition by writing a letter of objection to Telford & Wrekin Council.
The letter, by society president George Evans, a local author and historian, says mining would harm the ancient woodlands of Black Hayes, Birch Coppice, Short Wood and Limekiln Wood, all important parts of The Wrekin Forest.
“The area proposed for destruction is beautiful forest land with magnificent bluebell woods, bat colonies, ancient gnarled oaks and all the wildlife you could wish for,” Mr Evans says. “This cannot be replaced within a century.
“This area is vital to Telford, to provide the ‘lungs’ of the new town, to protect wildlife and to provide people with a place of peace and serenity much needed in the modern world.
“It is as important to us as the rain forests. Its destruction would be a massive piece of corporate vandalism.”
Mr Evans says the area’s industrial and agricultural activity is much greater, more diverse and longer term than in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
And he says digging up the woods would upset the balance of nature.
“Opencast mining has been proved to adversely affect health, causing asthma and other lung diseases along with the misery of noise pollution and traffic congestion,” he says.
“To permit this development is to blight the future for us all, to deprive us and our children of our rights to roam in the peaceful forest as well as to destroy animal and vegetable wildlife.”
10 Comments
let them mine it once its done its done , whats wrong with you people out there the place will look better after its done , and open cast minning does live in the 21st centry unlike the people who r against it and it will b good for local bisneses
with this country being held to ransome by french owned power supplies, sold off by mrs t, and russian gas, we need to exploit as much of our reserves of coal as possible. coal has leapt in price by 95% over the last year. not sure if the foot of the wrekin is the place to start mining though
Plumber,what an idiot you are, it’s just an excuse to build houses in an area of natural beauty and history. Yes it will look better if you consider the carnage at lawley to be “better” …if thats the case move to Birmingham where there are lots of “nice” houses and get an education.
Incedently Plumber, do you even know where the short woods are, what they look like now and how to find them? I somehow doubt it.
Good for local business for how long? Not long enough to out weigh the amount of destruction in the meantime
Plumber, you are an idiot. Go away.
Hi ‘Plumber’
I don’t think the place will look better after it’s done like you say. How do you think the area would look better, could you explain in what way??
Once the wildlife has moved on it will not return for many years.
Which local buisnesses will it benifit? I can’t think of any…
Also the artical say’s 50 jobs would be created. Mining is a specialist job which requires specialist people. Are there many opencast miners in telford?
seems to me like a way of fat cat corporations to make huge profit for themselves. Very short travelling distance to Buildwas, high coal price and plans for more coal generated power stations in UK.
I say, leave the area alone, but then when do the ‘little people’s’ voices ever get heard when the sound of cash registers are ringing?
The Ironbridge power station which would be the main recipient of the coal is closing in 2015.
plumber you are an idiot, i agree with most peoples opion about this important issue.telford has still lovely countryside and is being built over every day.so leave our woods alone.!!!