Cumbria County Council had previously approved a planning application by West Cumbria Mining, but the local authority now says it will reconsider the application “after new information had come to light”, Sky News reports.
A spokesperson for Cumbria County Council said the decision to reopen the planning application followed the publication of a report by the government’s Climate Change Committee in December. “The report... sets out the volume of greenhouse gases the UK aims to emit during 2033-2037. In light of this the council has decided that the planning application should be reconsidered,” the spokesperson said.
“Government ministers had declined to intervene in the go-ahead for the mine on the basis it was a local decision,” Sky News added.