ATH win their appeal

Towards the end of December we found out from the local Derbyshire press that the result of the planning appeal put in by ATH had been issued and that ATH had won their appeal.  Not a word from Derbyshire CC planning department despite NANC having submitted a written objection to both planning committee meetings and spoken at the first one.  Also I put in an on-line objection to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol which was not acknowledged.  Poor show there all round.  Nor were we informed of the date of the appeal inquiry in Pinxton.  At least Nottinghamshire had the courtesy to write and let me know that the appeal had been upheld, even though the appeal was not against them.

We are disappointed but not surprised that climate change did not even get a mention in the appeal decision.  It was all about the lorries, which are important to the people of Pinxton but nothing about climate change despite the fact that, according to PPS1(Supplement), climate change should be at the forefront of all planning decisions.  One wonders why these documents are ever printed if they are continuously ignored.

The reason for the development was to get at coal from a spoil heap and this was mentioned only once when, and I quote “There would also be the reclamation of around half a million tonnes of coal”.  Excuse me but that is the reason for the application in the  first place.  ATH aren’t doing this out of altruistism.  If the coal wasn’t in that spoil heap none of this would be happening.  There would not be an issue with transport and the spoil heap would remain exactly as it is.  There would be no new pathways, the flood retention capacity of the area would be the same.  Everything would be the same.  But it is the coal and only the coal that is leading this application and it is getting lost in arguements about lorry routes.

Using simple sums involving the relative molecular weights of carbon and carbon dioxide, NANC calculate that something around 700,000 tonnes of CO2 will be emitted from the burning of this coal.  That is about 10 times the amount that Nottingham City Council produce from their buildings and vehicle fleets each year, so it is not a small amount of CO2.  The inspector says that it would contribute “a very small percentage to the country’s energy minerals requirements” i.e. how much coal we use each year.  Yes – a very small percentage – less than 1% in fact.  It would be interesting to find out how much energy would be produced for the country if a couple of wind turbines were put there instead of the coal being extracted.

And now on to Cossall.  Nothing is happeing there at the moment.  What could be causing this?  Several factors.  I had a look at the share price of UK Coal today and it is LOW.  Very LOW.  And that despite the demand for energy with the cold spell.  It seems the recession is causing a drop in demand for power.  Add to that the death of a miner in Yorkshire recently and things aren’t looking too good for UK Coal.  Shame.

An opposition group is formed

The residents of the villages of Trowell and Cossall have got together to form an action group in case UKCoal do go ahead and put an application to open cast mine at Shortwood Farm.  They have got a name and an email address and are starting to put together an action plan.  Welcome to CATAC - Cossall Awsworth & Trowell Against Coal.  If you want to join them you can contact them at catac@cossall.com.  Hopefully at some point they will get a website as well. 

NANC have had requests via our website and also face to face to put up a map of the proposed application so, via the magic that is Google Earth and information we gained by the FOI requests we made, we have downloaded a satelite photo of the area and drawn 2 outlines – the one in red is the proposed 2009 version and the one in blue is the outline of the 1995 application.  You can see the M1 crossing the image diagonally from bottom left to top right with Trowell Services obvious as a diamond shape either side of the motorway surrounded on the west of the motorway by proposed excavations.  That is certainly going to affect their business.  Would you stop for a cuppa with that going on around you? 

You can see that the 2009 version is much smaller than the original 1995 version.   Our friends at Smalley tell us that is not surprising as the application UKCoal put in first time round over there in Derbyshire was bigger than the one that actually got planning permission in the end (thanks to Pressa for that one) and they are expecting at any moment that UKCoal are likely to put in an application to extend their operations.  They work on the Mastermind principle – “We’ve started so we’ll finish” and while the coal is still there they intend to carry on till it’s all gone.  We don’t want the same thing happening in Nottinghamshire.

UKCoal show their hand

A new FOI request to Notts CC showed an email from SLR Consulting who are being employed by UKCoal with a statement that UKCoal were going to put in a planning application to extract 1.8 – 2 million tonnes of coal and conveniently there was a Google Earth map of the area with the propective mining site outlined in red!
Quick! Quick! Tell the residents! But first let the Evening Post know! So an article appeared in the Evening Post with UKCoal giving a deliberately evasive reply – well we expect nothing less from Stuart Oliver. With the invaluable help of the local MP and his opposite number two meetings were arranged – one in Cossall and one in Trowell. Both meetings were well attended and there should be an action committee in place very soon.  We learnt a lot more – like for example UKCoal have bought Uplands farm as well, meaning they have an even bigger potential hole to get coal out of.  

When you start to tell people what they are up against it is quite scary.  In the past there used to be a presumption against open cast coaling in Nottinghamshire but new local plans are being drafted and it looks like unless there is significant public input demanding that this be retained then we will lose this presumption and open cast will be a lot easier to get past the planning process.  The Government have even written a guide to how to get past the planning process especially for UKCoal – but they don’t call it that they call it MPS2.  And don’t forget the Coal Forum – a body set up by the Department of Business and Regulatory Reform to – and I use their words – “secure the long term future of coal fired power generation”.  With open cast coal not being refused permission and tacit Government support for open cast the battle lines have been redrawn against the community.  This should not go unchallenged.

Where do CPRE stand on open cast mining?

NANC would like to know where the CPRE Notts Branch stand on open cast mining. According to the national website they are fundamentally opposed to new unabated coal fired power stations and open cast mining in terms of CO2 emissions and the impact on the landscape. But this worthy statement does not seem to sit very well with all members of CPRE. Watch this video where George Monbiot interviews the Chief Executive of CPRE, Shaun Spiers who is remarkably evasive in his answers.
NANC challenge the Nottinghamshire branch of CPRE to step up to the mark and openly state that they oppose open cast mining and that they will join forces with us to oppose mining in Shortwood Farm

It’s getting closer

 There is one thing we can start to do now and that is to ask for a 500m buffer zone between the edge of the site and the nearest residences. They have it in Wales and they have it in Scotland. In fact it was in Scotland first and Wales followed their example. Well, its about time we followed suit in England and if not in England then at least in Nottinghamshire and we have an opening. So now comes the boring planning bit. Notts County Council are drafting a new minerals and waste development framework (yawn) BUT and here’s the good bit. YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SAY IN THIS PROCESS. Write to the Minerals Policy Officer and ask that when the process is open to consultation that you want to be consulted. Normally the public don’t get involved because it is boring but it does have an immense effect on our environment and what people can and can’t do to it. Write to steven.osborne-james@nottscc.gov.uk and demand to have your voice heard. Then, when the time comes demand a 500m buffer zone around the edge of all future open cast developments. if you are suitably interested and want to know exactly what Wales and Scotland did then follow the links on this website listed under 500m buffer zone and read it for yourself

Open Cast in Leicestershire

OK, so its not Nottinghamshire but UK Coal have just submitted a planning application for an open cast coal mine in the middle of the National Forest! These people obviously have no compuction in destroying anything they can to get at coal. To quote the national forest website: “a new forest in the heart of England. It covers a large part of north west Leicestershire as well as areas within Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Newly planted trees blend with existing woodland to create stunning landscapes and wildlife habitats.” They have planted 7 million trees already but what is the point if vandals like UK Coal can come along and just rip them out of the ground? OK, so they say they will reinstate but that mine will be there scaring the landscape for 4.5 years – a massive hole in the ground 1.5 miles long and half a mile wide, extracting 1.25 million tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of clay. The residents of nearby villages of Measham and Swepstone will have their lives ruined 12 hours a day for 5 days a week and a further 6 hours on Saturday to produce more climate destroying coal. NANC supports the good people of Leicestershire in their fight against this blot on the landscape and destroyer of the climate. And remember folks, open cast mining could be coming near you. Leicestershire today Nottinghamshire tomorrow?

Notts Evening Post, supports open cast?

Last Wednesday the Nottingham Evening Post ran an article about the future of coal. It seems however that this article is nothing more than the uninformed opinion of one man. With no basis in fact, this article seems to be nothing more than a poor attempt to justify new coal in Nottinghamshire.

So as Nottinghamshire enjoys it’s Greenweeks series of festivals and activities to raise awareness all across the county – awareness about climate change and environmental issues – the Nottinghamshire Evening Post publishes an article describing how coal, and fossil fuels will always play a part in our energy production. The entire contents of the “article” is the opinion of one John Harvey. Now I do not know John Harvey so I can only judge him by the comments he made in this article, but the conclusion I draw right away is that as an ex-miner, he has a faith in mining and coal. It is a faith however, that renders him completely ignorant to reality.

John believes that coal must play a part long into the future of energy production, and that open cast mining will provide jobs in the coal industry for ex-miners. He also believes that open cast mining won’t be that bad for any local residents, and that fossil fuels “will never be extinct”.

It seems that John would have us forget the obvious fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource, and that they will all inevitably run out if we keep using them. To miss such a fundamental truth instantly discredits the article. He also fails to see any problems with open cast mining, and it seems he opts only to associate the fact that it involves “coal” with his memories of the miners struggle.

The problem is, that this is an attitude that is far too common in Nottinghamshire. Outside of Nottingham, in the surrounding towns and villages people will go to extraordinary lengths to defend any subject involving coal. Perhaps it was conditioned into people associated with the industry during their years of struggle. And for that I can’t blame them. But the general refusal to debate the subject is misguided at best.

The fact is, as anyone reading this site will know, that coal is bad. We know all about the parts per million of CO2. We know about 2 degree warming, polar ice caps, and we can quote facts and figures form leading scientists all day long. But we can’t communicate with people who simply refuse to listen, due to an instinctive defence of an industry that failed them.

I have wondered for some time now why this attitude exists. As we all know mining was a very dangerous business. People suffered some appalling illnesses through mining, and it’s history is stained with child labour and death. The claims for white finger and other mining related illnesses have not stopped a quarter of a century latter. Yet ex-miners still seem to yearn for the return of an industry that did little more than exploit them.

This yearning could not be more misplaced in this instance. I fully understand the desire for work in these times of difficulty. But as we all know, open cast mining offers little in the way of jobs, for ex-miners or otherwise. Open cast mining is about one thing, and that is maximising profits. Organisations do this by automating as much of their operation as possible. Open cast mining does not involve miners in any way, only huge machines that coldly and efficiently rape the land of all they can take. What few jobs are available could be filled by anyone, from anywhere, and will hardly be offered to ex-miners or local people by preference.

John is also of the false impression that open casting is not that bad for a local community! And as the first commenter to the article pointed out, his ideas about “something like a dust suppressor” simply do not wash. For the people who live next to these open cast sites, John’s comments hold little basis in reality.

Notts Against New Coal has no easy task ahead. With a poor understanding of the current issues surrounding coal so prolific throughout Nottinghamshire, getting people to understand that open cast mining has little to do with the industry that built their communities is difficult. Particularly when newspapers are so willing to publish articles that have no research behind them, and are based entirely on the rantings of one person.

Scotland and Wales have it. We want it too

In my last blog I mentioned that a lady had asked how close an open cast mine can be to her house. Well, I have found out and in England its as close as it likes. So while the spoil heap at Langton may technically not be an open cast site it is literally at the end of the gardens of the folks who live on Kirkby Road.
Meanwhile in Scotland and (since January this year) in Wales it is 500m. That is no comfort to the good folks who live next to the Fos-y-Fran open cast coal mine in Wales because if that regulation had been in place 3 years ago the mine would never have got the go-ahead. But it’s there now and is putting the freeze on UK Coals operations in Wales.
There is no such distance in England. So we need to do something about that. It’s easy. Write to your MP and ask him/her to tell Hazel Blears to act NOW. She can do this easily as Minister for Communities and Local Government. All she needs to do is to tell all the Local Authorities in England to put it in their Minerals Development Plan. God, I’m beginning to sound like a planner. I’d better go and lie down in a darkened room till this passes over BUT it helps to know the rules THEY operate by so we can use the same rules and WIN.

Its getting fishier and fishier

NANC have learned that the Highways Agency have apparently sold land to ‘a mining company’.  This land is from where the M1 was widened in Nottinghamshire and is the site of a former depot.  Of course we have to check this and have asked for confirmation of this from the Highways Agency.  We have also been told that a woman recently rang up and asked the planning department what the closest distance to a house that an open cast mine could be.  We are not sure if there is one but we will find out and post it here.

ATH have put in an appeal…and more

We have been informed that ATH have decided to appeal.  So we immediately got on to Derbyshire CC planning and they said they had not received the papers yet but that an appeal was going to go ahead.  They gave us the internet link to the Planning Inspectorate  where you can comment on line.  NANC are posting this link here

http://www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk/pcsportal/makerep.asp?caseaddress=COO.2036.300.8.1437284&appealtype=COO.2036.300.2.2083

So please all those good folks that read this blog do fill in the form and demand that the Inspector reject the application.

Now it’s totally unrelated but there is a precedent where one of Her Majesty’s Planning Inspectors put climate change as a reason for their decision on a planning appeal.  That is in the case of the proposed (now actually going ahead – hurrah) wind farm at Bilsthorpe in Nottinghamshire where – and I quote – “I take the view that the contribution to meeting regional targets for the generation of energy from renewable souces and the effect that this would have to contributing to tackling the urgent challenge of climate change represents a significant benefit which MORE THAN OUTWEIGHS the harm to the landscape” (my capitals).  So there you have it – climate change CAN be considered in planning decisions.

That means that climate change can be used as a reason to reject this application.  So get writing and tell the inspector that a precedent has been set which prioritised climate change.

A couple of weeks ago I met a Councillor from the Notts CC planning committee.  I recognised her and started talking about the Langton Pinxton situation and she said that they wanted to reject it but couldn’t.  WHAT?  They could have done that at the time!  NANC gave them the opportunity but they ignored it and were taken in by the smooth talking Mr Lenagh and the fear of running out of power.

And it gets worse for Notts.  Using the good old Freedom of Information Act NANC has obtained letters suggesting that UK Coal are interested in starting up an open cast mine in Cossall.  We were warned about this by a local resident who must have seen their pet geologists wandering around the place.  There have been 3 attempts to have an open cast site there in the past and all were knocked back.  But UK Coal don’t seem to have given up  and are saying that they are, and I quote “looking at all their landholdings with a view to maximising opportunities for surface mine coal production.  In Nottinghamshire we have undertaken some preliminary work on the Shortwood Farm prospect.”

So NANC’s work is not over it would seem.  Watch this space.