Saying 'NO' to Open Cast Mining
Events
-see the Coal Activism Diary on the Coal Action Network website
A new open-cast coal mine site is about to get
underway in beautiful Derbyshire. unless we stop it now.
What's going on?
Lodge House site, which is east of the village of the Derbyshire village of Smalley, is one of seven sites that UK Coal is to open-cast. The area is rich with wildlife and backs onto Shipley Country Park. It is about to be devastated, despite objections from local councils, residents and local environmental groups. The Secretary of State granted planning permission in 2007 and work is to commence any day now.
More destruction
to come?
The 122 hectare site will have one million tonnes of coal ripped out over five years and 'returned back to its natural state' according to UK Coal. However, they will not be able to replace ancient edges and mature trees, and they will be able to expand beyond the 122 hectares without needing further permission. Residents were excluded from parts of the planning meeting on grounds of commercial confidentiality, which suggests that the plans may be bigger than UK Coal is letting on.
UK Coal are one of those companies that looks to maximise their profits by raping the land and profiting from it any way they can, after coal extraction - they return the area to business parks, housing and industrial estates. In some cases they return it to farmland and charge the farmers rent, or in low-grade land grow energy crops according to their website. They are even into windpower, but as yet have still not erected a turbine.
Coal is not clean energy and with the new onslaught of proposed power stations, UK Coal are looking to cash in on climate devastation and destruction, unless we stop them.
A dirty fuel, a changing climate
Coal is not clean energy, and with the new onslaught of proposed power stations, UK Coal are looking to cash in on climate devastation and destruction unless we stop them. Burning coal to produce electricity is threatening the global environment and all our futures..
The area is rich with wildlife and backs onto Shipley Country Park; some houses, (the sort of place you dream of living in) have been shuttered up and items like toys, dog kennels and other personal bits remain looking like something from a hurried evacuation from a war zone. UK Coal has stated that the site will be returned to farm land, but they are able to expand beyond the 122 hectares without needing further permission.
To combat open-cast mining a new action group "Leave it in the Ground" has formed, supported by Earth First!
For more info phone 07852 460871 or email derby(at)earthfirst.org.uk