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Planners against mining plans
Tuesday 31st March 2009, 7:59PM BST.
The council’s bid to stop UK Coal opening an open cast mine near The Wrekin has been backed before next month’s appeal hearing.
Telford & Wrekin Council’s statement of case against UK Coal chiefs was unanimously backed by members of the plans board at a special meeting last night. The members agreed with the council’s reasons why UK Coal should not be given permission to extract 900,000 tonnes of coal from land on Huntington Lane.
The statement of case, which will go before a government inspector at the public inquiry at Grays Hotel on April 28, reveals why the council does not want the mining.
UK Coal chiefs launched an appeal, claiming the council failed to issue a decision on the application within the prescribed period.
At last night’s meeting plans board members agreed to endorse the council’s position in preparation for the public inquiry.
The council claimed the mining would ruin views from the summit of The Wrekin, create a level of noise which would breach regulations and policy and also create too much dust.
The case also states that the council want Telford to shed its image as an area “scarred by mining” and claim the development of the mine would put people off living in the borough.
Councillor Joy Francis, told last night’s meeting: “It mentions here – and I’m agreed – that we are trying to get away from our old mining image and move forward and I think that’s important.”
Michael Barker, lead planning officer, told members that they had put forward what they believed was their “strongest case”.
The long running fight by UK Coal to start mining on the site has sparked protests from Friends of the Ercall and Telford Against New Coal. Residents have also fought the plans since they were first submitted. But they were dealt a blow last week when nearest land-owner to the proposed site, Terry Beanland, withdrew his objections to UK Coal’s plans.
UK Coal chiefs claim the mining would make safe an area riddled with old mine workings, create 90 jobs and help meet national demand for coal.
By Kirsty Smallman
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Investing in wind, renewables, energy conservation and massively expanded recycling will create more jobs (vital during the economic downturn), cut our carbon emissions and set our economy on a new and sustainable course. Burning coal will only lead to climate chaos. We need a Green New Deal in Shropshire ( see http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/07/21/experts-call-for-credit-and-climate-crunch-action/ ).
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As someone said before it’s only for 3 years and they might leave the area in a better state than it was before. Look at Horsehay golf course.
It silly to import coal when we have our own. There’s too many NIMBY’s in Telford.
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Firstly, Mint Spy,
The area is at the moment an area of history and beauty and when finished they would build houses on it. (hardly a better state)
Secondly, if Telford and Wrekin sell the Horsehay golf course to Jack Barker it would be turned into a landfill site.
Thirdly, if the council had done something earlier, instead of leaving everything to the eleventh hour, this public meeting needn’t have been called.
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just let it go a head local jobs for local people
as for dust and noise well i dont think so all that went out of the window years a go people in telford nead to go and see a open cast site to see how well there run , and again if joe blocks wanted to buid houses on there no body would complain about it and then the land is lost for good you sad people
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Mint Spy, after 3 years, what will happen to the jobs, which nigel mentions?
These jobs will be gone and another 1,500,000 tonnes of CO2 will be in the atmosphere.
Would you both not agree that Shropshire needs sustainable jobs and clean energy?
Jobs would last if our government invested massively in
a) energy conservation for our inefficient housing stock (providing vital jobs for the construction industry)
b) renewable energy, like wind, which would provide jobs locally rather than at the nearest nuclear power plant
c) recycling, which provides many more jobs than incineration
A green economy will provide many more jobs than the carbon-pumping economy of the past, as well as ensuring that our climate doesn’t cross dangerous tipping points.
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