Mine restoration bid after £3m legal win

Endof court battle will see council recover sum from insurance firm

An abandoned opencast coal mine could finally be restored after Fife Council won a £3.1 million legal battle.

A judge has ordered that the sum be recovered from the Royal and Sun Alliance Plc (RSA) following years of wrangling and fears over safety at North Blair Farm in Oakley.

Locals claimed the site had been left in a dangerous state when mining ended in November 2013 and councillors said they were left with no option but to take legal action.

The local authority had entered into an agreement with the mine’s owners, UK Coal Mining, that the site would be returned to woodland, countryside and agricultural use within a year of production ceasing.

The mine was taken over by the Scottish Coal Company Ltd which assumed responsibility for returning it to its original condition.

A bond arranged with RSA dictated that if no remedial work was carried out, the council would receive £3.1m.

But the insurance company argued that the circumstances of the mine’s closure meant the bond did not apply.

The judgment by Lady Wolffe has been welcomed by Fife Council, which said it brought the much-needed restoration of the difficult site a step closer.

Head of service Robin Presswood said he hoped RSA would accept the decision and allow restoration of the site as soon as possible.

MSP Alex Rowley said it was disgraceful the council had been forced to go to court and warned: “At other opencast sites nearby we got a level of restoration but it was nothing like the level agreed when the planning application was approved. This was a real lesson.”

At other opencast sites nearby we got a level of restoration but it was nothing like the level agreed