News - Campaign to stop a new Opencast Coal Mine in Leicestershire
A Campaign to stop a new Opencast Coal Mine in Leicestershire continues.
UK Coal put in their formal application for an opencast mine on the old Minorca site between Swepstone and Measham back in July 2009. Since then the Minorca Opencast Protest Group (MOPG) has fought a vigorous campaign to oppose the application. You can get more details of this campaign on either the MOPG Website or the page on the Leicestershire Villages Website.The first round of consultations between Statutory Bodies and MOPG and Wardell Armstrong on behalf of UK Coal plc have now been completed. So far the following bodies have lodged objections to UK Coal's planning application:
- English Nature
- The Environment Directorate of NWLDC
- The Environment Agency
- MOPG
- Measham Parish Council
- North West Leicestershire District Council
- Snarestone Parish Council
- Swepstone / Newton Burgoland Parish Council.
Leicestershire County Council, who has to determine this application, are probably not going to make a decision until after Wardell Armstrong / UK Coal respond to these objections.
UK Coal is now in the position of preparing amendments to its original submission in light of the objections that have been raised in order to convince those who have raised objections that the issues will now be dealt with satisfactorily. They have unlimited time in which to do this.
Once the amendments to the planning application are submitted to Leicestershire County Council a new round of consultations gets underway. However, unlike UK Coal the consultees will have to respond within 21 days.
If the consultees now drop their objections, in light of the new evidence produced by UK Coal, then the application can proceed to being decided by the Development Control and Regulatory Board, LCC's executive body for this matter, probably in the New Year. (This is the position as at 8/12/09)
