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Protesters dig in over mining plans
Monday 22nd March 2010, 9:00AM GMT.
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Campaigners have set up camp at a mining site in Telford in protest at plans to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal.
Half a dozen protesters are now living on the site between New Works and Little Wenlock in objection to UK Coal’s scheme. Their numbers were swelled over the weekend with about a couple of dozen people joining in the protest. UK Coal bosses today said the protests were illegal and they would be taking legal action to remove those involved.
One man living on the campsite, which has a makeshift fire and tents, blamed the Government for allowing the mining to take place.
Campaigners have been fighting the firm’s bid for an opencast mine, arguing it would wreck the countryside.
UK Coal appealed after Telford & Wrekin Council failed to come to a decision over the application for the Huntington Lane site. But a public inquiry was held last year and planning inspector Andrew Mead recommended the appeal be allowed, which paved the way for Secretary of State John Denham to grant permission.
One of the protesters, who did not want to be named, said: “We object because it’s so close to The Wrekin and people’s homes.”
Another protester, who also did not want to be named, said: “They already started to cut down trees which they said were around 20 years old, but they’re not, they’re about 150 years old.”
Stuart Oliver, for UK Coal, said of the camp: “These protest groups are illegal . . . they can’t stop the scheme from going ahead. We will take whatever legal action we need to remove them.”
By Jason Lavan
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Good on um I say!! I shall be up there later in the week to offer them any help I can.
There has been so much opposition since the start, its criminal that one man in London who has never seen the site for himself can approve the destruction of our beautifull surroundings.
It may be a little cliched but I say Power to the People!
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It wasn’t just one man in London. UK Coal did everything they needed to do to gain planning permission. The fact that the council did not refuse the appliation tells you that much. They ddn’t want to be seen as the bad guys so instead cost the taxpayer thousnds of pounds by not determining the application and having it go to a costly public inquiry.
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It’s truly tragic to see such a stunningly beautiful area as this being devastated in this way – all in the pursuit of a relatively tiny quantity of climate-destroying coal.
Many thanks for all the love and support that the camp has received so far – if you’d like to get involved or find out more please visit http://defendhuntingtonlane.wordpress.com
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It is great that people are doing this. The camp is friendly and welcoming. The people involved thoughtful, intelligent with loads of enthusiasm and a fun sense of adventure. The site itself is truly beautiful, despite the trees felled by UK coal. I spent Saturday night and Sunday at the camp. It was so empowering to get involved with these people. If you agree with the protesters views or not, people should visit the site and engage and debate. If you are inspired join in .
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I think it was to a degree, Grey. That ‘one man’, Secretary of State John Denham could have followed his party line and ‘presumed against’ this development. Instead he found in favour of UK Coal, overriding the objections of the many local people who strongly opposed this mine throughout the ‘democratic’ processes of the planning application process and subsequent public inquiry. To give T&W their dues, the planning application was eventually refused but not until the inquiry had been called for.
I for one was happy to see my taxes used to oppose this development!
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For goodness sake. The Wrekin area is a wonderful place. Must Wellington lose everything that is beautiful?
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i feel sorry for the local people near wellington, since telford was created – this was only very recently a scenic medieval market town in the countryside
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Surrounded by open cast mines..
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I have been visiting the site for some time now, even though I live in Wales. The woodland is a wonderful place, full of beauty and the coal this will produce in no way warrants the devastation that this mining will cause. I spent Saturday at the camp and was made very welcome and intend going to stay agin soon. I hope more people will join the protestors for this worthwhile cause.
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Many, many thanks for all the food , tools, and home comforts donated thus far to the camp.
We are all very suprised at just how much suppport is coming in locally, and from afar.
From small pine shelving units to house the cans, to buckets and rice, a beautiful “wish flag bunting” , made by local children who made each wish into a small flag with a bell attached, and given with love from Andromeda -thank you!
New Works residents have been engaging with those at the camp, and are welcome, there is strong local opposition to UKraine Coals hideous plans, sepite their being given approval by a so called “Independant Inspector” at the Inquiry.
We said as the Inquiry opened it was nothing more than a farce – and have been proved right.
Perhaps as other UKraine propsed opencast coal sites begin to be occupied, they will realise that this situation will not become easier, until England also has a protective 500 metre buffer zone, which is afforded the rest of the UK – this is now a Human Rights issue, as if local people lived in Wales or Scotland, this mine would have not been passed due to its close proximity to houses, schools, and a motorway.
Even the HIA recommended a 500 metre buffer zone for health reasons would be prudent – so why wont Mr Brown and his cronies address the problem and amend Mineral Planning Guidance so as to have parity with the rest of the United Kingdom?
Ravenwolfs comments, Joes, and Yorkshire lass, express the concern that is rising fast around the Opencast planned mine.
Magister.
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I am disgusted and appalled that this most beautiful place is being desecrated for very little reward. The scale of destruction and pollution (both physical and visual) will greatly impact on those people living nearby and those enjoying the area. I am agog at this actually going ahead. Smells of a kickback to someone in the government to me.
I’m from Australia and visit The Wrekin and Ercall every year. What a terrible shame!
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Well done to the protesters.
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I think these people are amazing. Well done. Such a beautiful place should be protected.
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When the coals gone, a new issue will start, building houses. What then?
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I live within 2 miles of the Wrekin,and also work in an open cast site in Fife,Scotland.The Little Wenlock site is very very small,probably only involving 12-18 months coal extraction,there will be short-term disruption for locals but the site will be put back to as close as possible,exactly the same,with watercourses reinstated,trees replanted and wildlife reintroduced.The Scottish enviromental agency have commeneded us on our enviromental work,indeed,our reinstated land has Otters(very rare in this part of Fife),Badgers and Newts already settling.In short the work we have done extracting 4 times as much coal as the Little Wenlock site has improved the landscape and habitat.
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When I lived in the Wenlock area (up to last June), I supported this plan. We have to be realists. We need to use our own resources. We spend billions buying Russian coal, Russian Gas, Saudi Oil, and have no alternatives to fossil fuel in the short term. We need to build sustainable fuel sources such as barrages but these get blocked on environmental grounds, no one wants windfarms near them and Nuclear whilst a good option gets everyone complaining.
Life will grind to a halt if we all object about every proposal as the electricity will cease when the fuel runs out or the foreign powers decide we are too insignificant to supply.
What needs to happen is to ensure the company, UK Coal, meets its obligations for reinstating the land, keeping dust and noise down during the work and that the Council has powers to fine them for every breach. A hard pill for those living in the area but necessary for the greater good I feel.
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I visited the site myself on Thursday from Cumbria to see what the fuss was about. Came away very upset!!
Whilst we need energy it is very wrong to wreck such a beautiful & environmentally diverse site such as this in the short-term pursuit of profit.
I am a long serving fellow of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and also a Member of the Institute of Wood Science and can assure the readers that the trees I saw badly felled (butchered) are mature & semi-mature. 150 to 200 years old in the case of the oaks.
The whole of the Short Woods is an interesting ecological site, because it has not been actively managed for many a year it should classified as an historical woodland site and so protected. The whole area around the Limekiln Woods should be designated and protected. Come on Shropshire County Council!! There are also some interesting industrial archaeological features within the woodlands that should also be protected as part of Shropshire’s heritage.
My family came from Wellington & Coalbrookdale & I know they would have been appalled by what is planned by GB Coal.
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