Potland Burn opencast site given go ahead
A CONTROVERSIAL bid to dig 2m tonnes of coal from a 600-acre site on the outskirts of a former Northumberland pit town has been given the green light.
County councillors today approved UK Coal’s application to work the Potland Burn site next to Ashington over seven years - despite opposition from hundreds of local people.
Opponents claimed the mining operation will hamper regeneration efforts which have seen millions of pounds invested in the town in recent years. The area had been designated in a county council blueprint as one where urban regeneration and inward investment had to be protected from the impacts of opencast, but planning officers said the Government’s decision to approve the Shotton opencast mine on the edge of Cramlington last year meant there were no strong policy reasons for rejecting Potland Burn.
UK Coal says the site will create 65 jobs and will help stimulate regeneration in Ashington through the provision of a £500,000 fund for community projects.
