Parish Matters

In addition to the numerous events, activities, facilities and services available in Little Wenlock, a number of local issues and topics interest and concern residents.

Opencast Mining

On 1st October 2007 UK Coal confirmed that it was pressing ahead with plans to mine 900,000 tonnes of coal from land near to New Works and Huntington, and submitted a planning application to T & W Council at the end of November 2007.

The plans were first outlined at a Public Meeting held in Little Wenlock village hall in March 2007, and UK Coal claim that these original proposals have been altered in response to residents’ concerns.

Public opposition to the idea of mining has been intense from the outset, and our local MP Mark Pritchard is supporting a campaign to oppose the proposals stating that

"New Works is entirely the wrong location to mine coal. It will mean the loss of woodland, an area of outstanding natural beauty, noise and dust pollution for the residents of Huntingdon and New Works, as well as increased HGV traffic disrupting Arleston and Horsehay. I will fight these plans all the way".

Mark Pritchard MP chaired a meeting held in the Village Hall at 7.00 pm on Friday November 30th, he called to discuss the controversial plans. At the meeting residents and campaigners said it was in the wrong place, as it would bring traffic to small country lanes and disturb the countryside. Concern was expressed with regard to the future plans for the site after mining is completed.

Planning consultant Trevor Berkeley told the meeting the company was prepared to go through several steps of appeal if rejected. It could take the battle into the next decade. The area has been previously mined, and by working it again followed by repairing the ground properly, will improve the site. It has also offered a £500,000 fund for community projects.

Little Wenlock Parish Council's response has been to submit strong objections to the proposals.

An open public meeting was called by Little Wenlock Parish Council on 21st January 2008 to discuss UK Coal planning application for opencast mining. See minutes of meeting.

Subsequent to this meeting, a formal response from the Parish Council to UK Coal's proposals was submitted in February 2008.

This response is summarised as :

THE PARISH COUNCIL’S RESPONSE TO THE UK COAL APPLICATION

The Parish Council submitted a 10 page response to the UK Coal Application It appears in full on the website www.littlewenlock.org.uk but I will summarise the main points here.

We objected to this planning application under the following headings :

IRRESPONSIBLE RESOURCE USE – use of coal as a fuel is irresponsible as the needs of Ironbridge and Rugeley power stations are already being met; environmental impacts would be at an intolerable level; it would take a generation for the environment to recover to its present state; this development would violate an Area of Outsatnding National Beauty and seriously affect the Lydebrook Dingle SSSI.

NEED – the proposed development fails to demonstrate a significant regional or national need for this coal; if all the extracted coal went to Ironbridge it would keep the power station going for 26 weeks, if it went to Rugeley it would last 12.8 weeks; national & local policy is seeking to maximise electricity generation from renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.

TRANSPORT – the transport of coal would deposit black dust on the roads, neighbouring properties and land; this development would place an excessive burden of heavy lorry traffic on unsuitable roads.

NATIONALLY & LOCALLY IMPORTANT SITES & SPECIES – the parish contains part of the Shropshire Hills AONB, 3 SSSIs, 3 Nature Reserves, 4 Wildlife Sites, ancient semi-natural woodland, the New Works Ancient Monument and Grade II listed building all of which would be adversely affected; the development would directly affect badger setts.

DUST POLLUTION – as the proposed area has been mined before there could be twice the amount of overburden to shift compared with usual opencast operations which could generate a large amount of fine dust (PM10) which has a statistically significant effect on health; local experience informs us of inadequacy of dust mitigation measures.

NOISE – noise created by machinery, blasting and reversing bleepers will cause serious problems for residents within 250m of the site.

GROUNDWATERS – lowering of water table; creation of acidic water; effect on private water supply at Willowmoor.

STABILITY OF SITE & ADJOINING LAND – effects of liquefaction on nearby homes.

SITE RECLAMATION & AFTERUSE – there appear to be no details of after-care management; it would take a generation for the land to regain its present status.

CUMULATIVE EFFECTS – this are has suffered from successive opencast mining over a number of years plus landfill operations.

EFFECTS ON THE LOCAL ECONOMY – small number of local jobs created; damage to the tourist industry; proposed Community Trust Fund only equates to 55p per tonne of coal produced.

VISUAL POLLUTION

ENVIRONMENTAL/COUNTRYSIDE CONSIDERATIONS – 92% of Little Wenlock Parish Questionnaire respondents objected to the development; previously mention effects on flora and fauna.

PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY – pathways 37 & 51 are used by walkers, riders & cyclists – the proposed diversions to both would be dangerous.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS – the land in question forms one of the last remaining examples of post-industrial regeneration; the low agricultural fertility of the site is valuable in conservation terms as it encourages biodiversity; the site forms a prominent foreground to the Ercall and the Wrekin; to disrupt such a vital local asset unless at a time of extreme national need would be nothing short of environmental vandalism.

Thanks are due to Councillor Hutchings for all her hard work in compiling our response and to George Chancellor for his input and advice. As yet we do not have a date for this application to go before Telford & Wrekin planning Board – it will probably be at least another couple of months.

UK COAL PLANNING INQUIRY

Following submissions by UK Coal, T&W Council, Little Wenlock PC, Friends of The Ercall, and many interested groups and individuals, the Inquiry finished on May 28th 2009. The inspectors are now deciding on what they will recommend to the Secretary of State.

The Secretary of State will issue a decision on UK Coal's application to surface mine coal at Huntington, Little Wenlock on or before the 9th October 2009.

Little Wenlock Parish Council urge you to write and make your views known on this proposal to John Denham, Secretary of State at Head of Ministerial Correspondence, Communities and Local Government, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU

In addition we would strongly urge you to sign Little Wenlock Parish Council's petition to the Prime Minister at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/UKCoal-Telford

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to reject the UK Coal Planning Application at Huntington Lane in Telford.

Little Wenlock Parish Council implores John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Communities, to reject the UK Coal Planning Application at Huntington Lane in Telford. The open cast mine would wreck lives, scar the landscape for generations to come and harm the local wildlife. It would deter tourist from visiting the area and be seriously detrimental to future investment in Telford. It would destroy the image of Telford as a modern, clean town surrounded by green countryside. The mine would destroy part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is part of the Shropshire Hills and the area around The Wrekin. For those living next to the mine it would result in years of noise, dust and misery. The health of children and those who suffer from chest complaints would be put at risk.

At the public inquiry the Inspector said that he had received over 2000 letters of objection to the proposal and five in favour of it. He is now preparing his report and recommendation for submission to the Secretary of State.

This planning application does not just affect those who live immediately close to the proposed site. It affects all of Telford both medically and economically. Should it go ahead it will have an immediate effect on the Wrekin and a knock-on effect on tourism.

Little Wenlock Parish Council would implore everyone in Shropshire who cares about the environment to sign this petition. It will take only a few minutes but the dividend will be life-long. For the petition to be really effective we need 10’s of thousands to sign.

We are all “Friends Around The Wrekin” – let us all protect it.

Pat Hutchings Chairman, Little Wenlock Parish Council

John Marcham Parish Clerk to LWPC

18th June 2009

THE PUBLIC INQUIRY FINDS IN FAVOUR OF UK COAL - October 2009

The decision by John Denham MP, the Secretary of State for Communities, to uphold the UK Coal’s planning application to open cast at Huntington Lane is nothing less than allowing the rape of an outstanding and historic landscape.

What he has consented to will wreck lives, scar the landscape for generations to come and harm the local wild life. It will deter tourist from visiting the area and be seriously detrimental to future investment in Telford. It will destroy the image of Telford as a modern, clean town surrounded by green countryside. The mine will destroy part of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which is part of the Shropshire Hills and the area around The Wrekin. For those living next to the mine it will result in years of noise, dust and misery. The health of children and those who suffer from chest complaints will be put at risk.

Little Wenlock Parish Council deeply regrets and is angered by this decision. The Parish Council will now place before UK Coal and Telford and Wrekin a series of proposals that it feels will help the lives of those in close proximity to the open cast mine to be a little more bearable.

These proposals will include:

Independent Liaison Committee which meets at least every 6 weeks chaired by a parishioner & consisting of Little Wenlock parish councillors, residents, T& W officers, T&W councillors, UK Coal representative, and site manager.
Nominated person at the site for complaints to be dealt with and a clear process for resolving complaints within 24 hours of them being made.
Permanent road sweeper and cleaner so that no debris is taken on to road.
Halt sign at the junction of Dog in the Lane and Coalmoor.
No lorries to wait before 7.00am on the road – parking to be available on the site.
A strict method of enforcing good practice by haulage contractors.
Regular site visits by liaison committee to monitor progress and practices.
Penalty of £10,000 per day payable to the parish council for each day over the contract date.
Compensation to householders to pay for all damage to their dwellings caused by the operations.
Restoration to green field site status.
The entire site to be fully restored within a 2 year period. If not a fine to be levied.
The 5 year after care to commence at the end of these 2 years when the site is completely restored.
The 5 year after care to commence at the end of these 2 years when the site is completely restored.
Regular repairs to the haulage road to the power station to be carried out and paid for by UK Coal, including Coalmoor Road.

All the conditions stated by Mrs. Pietroni at the public inquiry. She is the District Access and Rights of Way Officer for Telford and Wrekin on the Shropshire Committee of the British Horse Society and a member of the Telford Bridleway Association. The recommendations, which the Parish Council fully supports, are as follows:

That in collaboration with Telford Council’s Legal and Rights of Way departments, UK Coal should be required to facilitate a good circuit linked multi-user routes across, around and emanating from the site, including some of the immediately adjacent existing rides and particularly the linked network paths around Huntington, Limekiln, Steeraway and New Works which includes over 18 footpaths and 7 bridleways.
Naming, signing, gating, surfacing and producing leaflets for such a circuit is expensive, and again UK Coal should be expected to take a lead role in providing or fundraising to cover these costs. The British Horse Society would of course be more than happy to collaborate with such a plan as would Telford Bridleways Association.
UK Coal should be required to make up for several lost years of use and the major damage to the landscape by dedicating an improved public rights of way network, with routes around the perimeter of the development and linking to existing public rights of way across the site. All of these should be upgraded to at least bridleway status so that walkers, cyclists, and horse riders can use them and not just walkers, and therefore be in line with current ‘multi-user’ policies in the Rights of Way Improvement Plan of Telford and Wrekin Council.

Little Wenlock Parish Council is willing to work with UK Coal and T&W Council so that there is minimal disruption and disturbance to the local residents.

Little Wenlock Parish Council is of the opinion that the £500,000 Community Fund which UK Coal will give to T&W should be used in such a way as to benefit Little Wenlock Parish, and New Works in particular, as these are the people whose lives will be most affected by the noise, dust and other unpleasant effects. We hope that T&W will establish an open process so that full and frank decisions about how this money can be spent will take place

The Parish Council would like to thank Pat Judson of Friends of the Ercall for his unstinting support and presence at the inquiry. Also we extend our thanks to both our local Members of Parliament, Mark Pritchard MP for the Wrekin and David Wright MP for Telford who fought so hard against the proposal and to Telford and Wrekin Planning Department. To those who took the trouble to sign our petition at Number 10 our sincere thanks, we only wish it had received more support for our No. 10 petition from T&W councillors and other local parish councils.

Forming of a Community Liaison Committee - Jan 2010

At the Parish Council meeting held in January 2010, Cllr. Patrick Pietroni reported that he had attended numerous meetings associated with the formation of a Community Liaison Committee (CLC). His meetings with T&W and the legal department had been most helpful with reference to the terms of reference for the CLC and the Community Fund. The document was still in its draft stage and would be discussed at the first meeting of the CLC.

Membership of the CLC had been agreed with names taken from the Open Meeting held on 12th October 2009. An informal meeting of the CLC would take place on Monday 18th January 2010 and then monthly meetings there after.
There was a clear view that both Cllr Patrick Pietroni the interim chair and Cllr Debbie Goodman vice-chair should put their names forward to be ratified at the first formal meeting of the CLC, but in the mean time they would operate as the interim chair and vice-chair.
The minutes of the CLC and a regular report would be presented to LWPC.
Cllr. Patrick Pietroni reported that the meetings with both UK Coal and T&W have been very supportive.
Cllr. Patrick Pietroni stated that there had been 12 objections to the RoW issues and restoration plan. LWPC had withdrawn its objections because UK Coal had addressed its objections. A meeting with the outstanding objectors was being held on Thursday 14th January 2010 between 6.00 and 7.30 to discuss their concerns.
If the objections are not withdrawn and a Public Inquiry is subsequently held, which will cost UK Coal a substantial sum of money, then all the concessions and achievements that LWPC has gained will be withdrawn. UK Coal has bent over backwards to help address the issues. Some of the issues that the remaining objectors are pursuing are not on UK Coal land and therefore UK Coal cannot deliver a resolution to these issues as it is not within their power to resolve them.
Cllr. Patrick Pietroni reported that he had walked the RoW so that he had a full understanding of the problems.
Minutes of the meeting held with Entec on 21st December 2009 and the notes on the meeting with T&W held on 17th December 2009 had previously been circulated to councillors.

Initial meetings of Community Liaison Committee - Jan 2010

The Parish Council has been working very closely with T&W Council and UK Coal to mitigate the effects of the surface mine on the local community. UK Coal has listened to the concerns expressed and we have established a good and constructive working relationship. The Parish Council initially opposed the diversion of the footpaths on the site but withdrew its objection when UK Coal addressed the council’s concerns and agreed, via a joint agreement with Mr. Beanland, the upgrade of FP37-39 to a bridle way following mining operations and FP37 to be restored as a bridle way following mining; to establish a temporary surfaced bridle way from Dawley Road to Limekiln Lane running parallel to the northern boundary of the mine site and to establish a temporary unsurfaced permissive bridle way around the perimeter of the field to the east of New Works Lane (Headland) to connect to RB36. The British Horse Society has also negotiated a number of concessions with UK Coal.

The Community Liaison Committee has been established under the interim chairmanship of Prof. Patrick Pietroni and will hold its first formal meeting in February. It is proposing to issue its own newsletter to keep residents informed of developments.