Staff made redundant from West Cumbria Mining newsandstar.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsandstar.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sarah Townsend
Cumbria County Council is to reconsider its decision to approve plans for a coal mine on the coast near Whitehaven, after receiving new information on the UK’s climate change targets.
Developer West Cumbria Mining wants to develop a metallurgical, or coking, coal mine at a 689-acre site on the St Bees coast. The £165m proposal includes mineral extraction over 50 years at the site, along with the refurbishment of two existing coal drifts leading to new drifts underground; coal storage and processing buildings; offices and other related buildings; an access road; ventilation, power and water infrastructure, and landscaping.
Cumbria County Council has announced it will reconsider the plans in light of new information. A spokesman for the county council said: After the receipt and consideration of new information, Cumbria County Council’s Development Control and Regulation (DC&R) Committee will now reconsider the planning application by West Cumbria Mining to create a metallurgical coal mine off the coast near Whitehaven. “This decision has been taken because in December 2020, the Government’s Climate Change Committee released its report on its recommendations for the Sixth Carbon Budget, a requirement under the Climate Change Act. The report, among other things, sets out the volume of greenhouse gases the UK aims to emit during 2033-2037.
Cumbria County Council puts plans for controversial coal mine on hold
After much criticism of its decision to approve the UK s first deep coal mine in more than 30 years, Cumbria County Council has confirmed that it will reconsider the move.
Pictured: An artist s impression of the completed mine. Image: West Cumbria Mining Company
The County Council approved plans put forward by West Cumbria Mining (WCM) for a new mine near Whitehaven late last year. The local authority was warned that the Government had the right to call in the decision under planning laws but Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed in January that this course of action would not be taken.