More opencasts on the way – fear
A PROTEST group campaigning against opencast mine plans in Measham has said similar applications could be submitted across the district because of missing information.
The Minorca Opencast Protest Group (MOPG) says vital information concerning the locations of the shallow coal field across part of North West Leicestershire is missing and could give rise to further applications.
The group says that the information from the Strategy for Growth and Change Further Consultation document is vital for new homeowners as it would show possible locations of coal fields.
MOPG chairman Steve Leary said that if areas west of Ibstock became ‘zoned’ for development then the first application potential buyers saw could be for an opencast coal mine.
He said: “This may happen because if this land overlies the shallow coalfield and it is going to be developed anyway, then national and county council planning guidelines would suggest that an applicant would have some preference over local feelings on the subject.
“This would be because preference is given to plans which would prevent access to this coal being lost forever as a consequence of the development.”
However, the group say that because information about the extent of the shallow coalfield is missing, residents do not know how much of a risk this is.
Measham residents are currently fighting against a future application to be submitted by UK Coal to mine 1.25 million tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of clay at the Minorca site, off Gallows Lane.
The plans have received criticism from nearby residents expressing fears about the potential impact on health, air and noise pollution and soil quality.
Mr Leary said: “We would not want anyone else to find that they face the stress and uncertainty caused by finding, all of a sudden, that a company has your area in its sights for an opencast coal mine. We know what it feels like.
“If the district authority can make the risks of this happening to other people and businesses clearer, then it would be doing the people of North West Leicestershire a great service.
“They would know that this was possible before they bought a house or decided to invest in a business”
A North West Leicestershire District Council spokesman said: “The district council as local planning authority has prepared the draft document for consultation.
“In relation to future potential open cast sites, the district council will need to take account of Leicestershire County Council’s comments on the document as they are the minerals planning authority and will make any decisions on future minerals extraction activities.
“At this early stage in the process, no decisions have been taken on the level of or strategy for growth in the district and we would encourage the Minorca Opencast Protest Group to comment on the document before the closing date of March 23 to ensure their comments can be taken into account in future versions of the document.”
From the Burton Mail
