Open mine proposals go on display
Developers want to create an open mine on the outskirts of Leeds to extract 1m tonnes of coal.
Proposals for the surface mine development near Ledston village were due to be put on display on Wednesday.
The Banks Group, the developers behind plans for Newton Lane, want to mine 127 hectares (313 acres) over five years.
The company said the scheme would employ more than 40 people and could provide enough coal to supply electricity for 60,000 local homes.
‘Environmentally acceptable’
The company said it would restore the site to agricultural use when mining is complete and create parkland, footpaths and wetlands.
The Banks Group has worked more than 20 surface mines in Yorkshire, including Moss Carr between Oulton and Methley and Wentworth near Barnsley.
It said it was confident the proposed mine could be worked in an “environmentally acceptable way”.
Senior project manager Rob Williams said: “We would utilise pioneering technologies developed by Banks at our surface mines in north-east England to minimise emissions of noise and dust.”
Residents were offered the chance to speak to the developers and find out more about the project at a public display at Fairburn Community Centre.
No planning application has yet been submitted for the proposals and the company said it was too early to say when work on the mine could begin.
Source: BBC News
