Leanne Palmer
The Planning Inspectorate (England)
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6PN 

CL.PI.N0082.29.11.2016                                                                                     29^th November 2016
 

RE: Call-In of Highthorn Opencast Coal Mine at Druridge Bay 

Planning Inspectorate Ref: APP/P2935/V/16/3158266

Dear Leanne,

I am writing to welcome the decision by the Secretary of State to call in the Highthorn opencast coal mine at Druridge Bay. I was pleased to join many other MPs - including the local MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan and the Shadow Energy Secretary Barry Gardiner - in asking the Government to call in this decision, and I hope that this development will now be rejected.

It is particularly welcome that the Secretary of State has called in Highthorn on climate change grounds. A recent report from Oil Change International has noted that if we are to have any chance of keeping global temperature change below 2 degrees there can be no new fossil fuel infrastructure – that includes coal mines of the kind being proposed at Druridge Bay, but also fracking for shale gas and other forms of fossil fuels.

Permitting new opencast mines is entirely at odds with the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C, which the UK formally ratified last Friday; and with the UK Government’s commitment to phasing out coal – as a crucial part of meeting carbon budgets under the legally-binding Climate Change Act.

It is clear in the case of Highthorn that the National Planning Policy Framework’s provisions on climate change, alongside the weight of current domestic energy policy and international climate treaties, have not been given due regard. The Planning Officer was mistaken to recommend approval, particularly as she had not received information from the applicant on the millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the 3 million tonnes of coal slated to be dug up at Highthorn.

Coal is a fuel of the past. More electricity was generated by the UK’s solar panels than by our ageing coal power stations between April and September this year. The Government’s newly-launched consultation on phasing out coal is categorical that “there will be no impact on the security of electricity supply”. Furthermore, coal is no longer economically viable: the Coal Authority’s latest statistics show there are just 900 jobs left in coal mining – whilst offshore wind employs some 15,000 people. The port of Blyth in Northumberland, where coal from Druridge Bay would be sent for transport via its rail station, also hosts the NAREC offshore wind testing centre and is perfectly placed to generate new jobs from the huge expansion of offshore wind underway in the North Sea.

And this is all before we come to the impacts that the Highthorn opencast mine would have on the beautiful environment and rich wildlife of Druridge Bay, a place loved by residents and visitors alike, and a great advantage to Northumberland’s tourism industry.

In Northumberland County Council’s planning committee decision meeting on Highthorn, the committee granted all objectors just 5 minutes in total in which to speak. This was despite the fact that the application had received over 10,000 objections. I hope the Public Inquiry will provide a proper forum for the public to voice their concerns over this damaging development, and address the democratic deficit created by the council’s actions.

As the real policy changes that are needed to build on the Paris Agreement become more urgent, and the evidence of climate change impacts become ever more devastating, now is the time for the UK Government to show leadership on this issue. Indeed, the logic of the Government’s coal phase-out policy and commitment to the Climate Change Act means it must, by necessity, reject new opencast coal mines. I urge the Inspector to recommend refusal of the Highthorn mine, and set a clear precedent for coal to be left in the ground.

Lastly, if time permits during the public inquiry – which you have indicated will likely take place in May of next year – either I or a representative from the Green Party would be pleased to speak to the perspective outlined in this letter.

Yours sincerely,