Joy and fury over opencast mine decision
THE SITE WAS SET TO BE NEAR A BEAUTY SPOT
PLANS for an opencast mine near a Northumberland beauty spot have been turned down after Government intervention.
The proposals by The Banks Group for the mine at Highthorn near Widdrington, west of the beach at Druridge Bay, were given the green light by Northumberland County Council in July 2016.
But the plans were ‘called in’ by the Government for a final decision last year.
The company argued the plans would bring skilled jobs and investment to the area, help ensure a domestic energy supply in the UK, and offer “environmental, community, tourism, and economic benefits”.
But campaigners feared the mine would harm the nature and ecology of the area.
A decision was expected on March 3, but after a three-week delay Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has published his decision to refuse the application for the opencast mine, which would harvest coal, sandstone and fireclay.
He considered the environmental impact of the plans and how they would hit the character and appearance of the area. The economic benefits and plans to boost biodiversity were considered in favour of the scheme.
The report, released yesterday, said: “The negative impact on greenhouse gases and climate change receives very considerable adverse weight in the planning balance. He gives further slight weight to the harm to local amenity.”
Lynn Tate, one of the local campaigners against the mine, said: “It’s fantastic. We’ve been fighting this for five years, I feel quite emotional.
“There will be a mixed reaction locally, because there are so many ex-mining villages round here which do have families who wanted those jobs. But I think for the majority of people who come here, who come down like I do every day to walk along the beach and the dunes, it’s just fantastic.
“The wildlife would have been affected across the area.”
Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who has spoken against the plans in the past, said: “This is the right decision for the local community and reflects years of hard work to ensure that we protect our outstanding local environment. Sajid Javid made clear in his decision that the development would affect the landscape and visual beauty of an area of substantial significance. This was one of the key points that I have made, alongside the local community, throughout our opposition to this development.”
And Rose Dickinson, Friends of the Earth campaigner, said: “This is a significant victory for local residents and the climate, it means an important step
forward has been taken in ending the era of fossil fuels.
“This is the first coal mine ever to be rejected in the UK because of climate change impacts – a vindication for everyone who has been calling for fossil fuels to be left in the ground.”
Lynne Gargett, a spokeswoman for Save Druridge, said the group is delighted Mr Javid “has understood the immense impact” coal has had on climate change.
A Government spokesperson said: “Communities Secretary Sajid Javid has [...] refused planning permission for a surface mine for the extraction of coal at Highthorn, Druridge Bay, Northumberland. He has considered all the evidence heard at the public inquiry, together with the recommendation of the Planning Inspector. His decision took account of all material considerations, including the potential environmental impacts of the scheme.”