Durham opencast site set to get green light

Jan 16 2009 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

A NEW opencast pit could be built 10 years after campaigners won their battle to block a mine near their homes. UK Coal Mining Ltd – Britain’s largest coal mining company – wants to take 1,274,500 tonnes of coal and 500,000 tonnes of fireclay over almost five years from a 125-hectare agricultural site in County Durham.

The location, which would be known as Park Wall North, is part of the former White Lea Farm site between Tow Law, Sunniside and Crook. A plan to open a pit there was refused planning permission by Durham County Council in 1996.

An appeal was dismissed by a Government inspector two years later.

The application had been to mine 1.9 million tonnes of coal from a 238- hectare area over seven and a half years.

But the new bid, which goes before county councillors next Wednesday, claims to address the reasons for the past refusal.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has objected to the new bid, saying the area surrounding Tow Law has been subject to opencasting for 50 years.

Its objection reads: “The landscape bears no relation to what it was originally and the cumulative impact is enormous.”

There have been 113 objections, including Wear Valley Council, and 64 letters of support for the bid. Past opencast sites in the area have included Castle Farm 1990-96; Park Wall 1965-69; Roddymoor 1966-69; Sunniside 1969-73; Thornley Grove 1970-72; Helme Park 1976; High Mown Meadows 1980-82; Red Barns 1983-91; and Cold Knott Farm 1978-82 and 1994-96.

A number of windfarms are now operational or have been approved to the north of Sunniside, but planners say it is unlikely there would be adverse combined impacts from the turbines and opencasting.

The company intends to restore the site to include 9.8 hectares of species-rich hay meadow, 43 hectares of new woodland, 1.5 hectares of open water, 69 hectares of agricultural grassland, five hectares of woodland pasture, 10km of new hedgerow and 5.9km of footpaths and bridleways.

It would also work with Community Energy Solutions, set up in 2006, to tackle fuel poverty, to install gas mains to supply the Sunniside community, while a community fund would generate £127,450 over the life of the opencasting.

Planners also say that with more than 60 people employed for the duration of the scheme, this would contribute to the local economy during a period of economic uncertainty and difficulty.

Approval of the scheme is being recommended, with planners advising that the mining would not be overly obtrusive in wider views of the area while the restoration scheme would offer a mix of habitats.

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