OPENCAST mine protesters say they are ʻincreasingly confidentʼ they can undermine crucial areas of a controversial planning application.
The research team assisting Measham’s Minorca Opencast Protest Group (MOPG) believe they have a case that can be submitted to Leicestershire County Council demonstrating ‘flaws’ in UK Coal’s bid to extract 1.25 million tonnes of coal and 250,000 tonnes of fire clay off Gallows Lane.
They say their claims can be backed after The Environment Agency requested a new set of readings be undertaken on the state of the ground water on the site as they are not happy with the evidence contained in the submission document on this issue.
Campaigners say they are also ‘increasingly aware of the devices that UK Coal has used in submitting a document which claims to include ‘independent’ and ‘objective’ reports which, on closer reading, prove to be biased’ to show the company has the full support of Government planning guidance.
On several occasions in its application, UK Coal claims that Government guidance should give priority to ‘proposals which will bring about environmental improvements for example, by the restoration of previously derelict areas or by the stabilisation of unstable ground’.
In one short section of the submission document, the Socio Economic Assessment, which is just 18 pages long, the claim that the Minorca site (pictured above) has derelict land which will be restored as part of the need to work the coal, and that the ground is unstable, is made twice.
However, protesters contest this, saying UK Coal wants to ‘rip up a green field site’ and that the ground is not unstable.
MOPG chairman Steve Leary said: “This is not the only example of misleading statements contained in this small 18-page section.
“They draw on inappropriate evidence when comparing urban and sub urban brown field sites with a greenfield site, they exaggerate the economic benefits to the local economy, and there are two further deliberately misleadingly interpretations of Government guidance – all within just 18 pages.
“This is a large document, about 1,500 pages long. We are confident that we will be able to draw on many further examples of how UK Coal has used the ‘evidence’ it has submitted to make claims that on closer examination cannot be substantiated.” A public meeting, organised by Leicestershire County Council, will be held at St Laurence’s Church Hall, in High Street, Measham, from 7pm on Thursday, September 17. Concerned residents are invited to attend.