Green groups have responded with outrage to the decision yesterday by Northumberland County Council to approve controversial plans for a new opencast coal mine near the Northumberland coast.

The council voted in support of plans from developer Banks Group, which would see 3m tonnes of coal, sandstone and fireclay extracted from a surface mine at Highthorn, near the village of Widdrington.

The square-mile site is close to Druridge Bay and environmental groups have warned that it could have a major impact on local wildlife and habitats.



More than 10,000 people objected to the planning application and Friends of the Earth accused the council of sidelining the concerns of local people and environmentalists.

“This is a terrible decision for the local community and their environment,” said Friends of the Earth campaigner Guy Shrubsole. “Druridge Bay is an incredibly special place. An opencast coal mine would damage its beauty, cause massive disruption and drive away tourists – all for the sake of a dying source of energy that is wrecking our climate.”

He added that the campaign against the project would continue, as final approval could yet rest with the government in Westminster.

“Friends of the Earth will stand shoulder to shoulder with the many thousands of local people who oppose this ill-conceived scheme,” he said. “The council failed to allow objectors to the mine to speak for more than five minutes in total – despite over 10,000 objections being received. The secretary of state should call it in to allow the evidence to be properly heard.”

His comments were echoed by Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, who urged the government to reverse the “short-sighted” decision to approve the project.

“I’m deeply alarmed by the short-sighted decision by Northumberland County Council to approve the new opencast coal mine at Druridge Bay,” she said in a statement. “Over 10,000 objections have been lodged against the mine, which has huge implications for local tourism and wildlife – including otters, dolphins and pink-footed geese. Coal is a dirty, polluting energy source and has no role to play in a modern, zero-carbon economy.”

She added that the government had an obligation to ensure planning rules were now “brought in line” with its flagship energy policy to phase out coal power in the UK by 2025 at the latest. “We need to keep coal where it belongs: in the ground,” she said.

Meanwhile, Labour shadow energy and climate change secretary Barry Gardiner reiterated his call for the government to call in the planning decision for government assessment.

“This planning application for a new opencast mine presents a concrete challenge to a cornerstone policy announcement made by the secretary of state for the Department of Energy and Climate Change last autumn,” he said. “As such, it must be resolved at the government level.”

Gardiner has written to communities secretary Greg Clark urging him to tackle the contradiction in current planning guidance between the coal phase out and the freedom for councils to approve coal mining projects.

“Amber Rudd said last November that by 2025 the Government would make “unabated coal a thing of the past,” He wrote. “It cannot be right that planning decisions made within the UK directly undermine this important commitment. It would surely therefore be imprudent for a decision to be made without internal coordination between yourself and the secretary of state for energy and climate change.”

A spokeswoman for Banks Group told the BBC it would restore the site following the five-year extraction project.

The company also stressed that it would bring 50 new jobs to the region, while 50 existing jobs would be transferred to the site and local suppliers would enjoy a £48m boost.

“What’s really important for Northumberland is job creation and making sure we continue to support the economy,” Jeannie Kielty from Banks Group told the BBC.

Council leader Grant Davey also highlighted the potential economic benefits. “I fully accept this has been a long and difficult process, with strong feelings on both sides, but I do believe this decision is in the best interests of Northumberland and its residents,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s also important to stress that the CBI (Commercial Bank International) and the North East Chamber of Commerce have written in support of the application.”