Plans for the first UK coal mine in thirty years can proceed, after the UK Government did not intervene with the plans. The Government could have called for an inquiry into the plans, which were approved by Cumbria County Council. However, the £165,000,000 mine will likely now go ahead, despite opposition from environmentalists. Citing environmental concerns, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said the decision was a “complete disaster for our children’s future”. The former Liberal Democrats leader, who had requested the government call in the scheme, also described it as an “almighty backwards step in the fight against climate change”.
Friends of the Earth spokesman, Tony Bosworth, said the refusal to call in the decision was “climate-wrecking”. He added: “Allowing coal to be extracted from this proposed mine for over a quarter of a century completely undermines the government’s credibility on the climate crisis. Global leadership on the climate emergency means leaving coal in the ground, where it belongs.”
Cumbria County Council claims that the mine would create 500 jobs and pay into a community fund.
Source
Whitehaven coal mine: Government refuses to call in plans, BBC News, 2021-01-07
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