Ecton Hill copper mine, once the largest and the deepest copper mine in the country, has reopened after five years.
The Ecton Mine Educational Trust will allow educational groups to explore the copper mining remains at Ecton Hill, near Hulme End in the Manifold Valley.
Chairman of the trust Dr John Bramley said: "We already have lecturers from Keele University bringing trainee teachers to Ecton Hill. We eventually aim to take more than 500 students a year into the mine.
"The mine workings rise more than 100m inside the hill above river level, and contain archaeological interest.
"On the hill top itself is an engine house which housed one of the first Boulton and Watt steam engines," said Dr Bramley. "This and many of the other surface features across the hill have been designated a scheduled ancient monument and the mine workings themselves are also a Site of Special Scientific Interest."
The trust is preparing a bid for Heritage Lottery funding which will continue to improve the centre and provide maintenance work to the mine shafts.
See out Ecton Hill at www.peakdistrictview.com
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-28 13:01:08
Showing posts with label mining. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mining. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Opencast mine gets go ahead
For the past six months we have been reporting on events surrounding certain quarrying activities around the Peak District.
Now another environmental issue has concluded after a three year battle by local residents.
The Government gave UK Coal the go-ahead to mine a 334-acre site on greenbelt land close to Shipley Country Park and three Derbyshire villages, extracting one million tonnes of coal over four-and-a-half years.
Protesters from Shipley, West Hallam and Mapperley had tried to block the plans believing the mine will increase pollution and traffic as well as destroying local wildlife.
And they now feel the environment has been left unprotected by the Government's public inquiry outcome.
Smalley Action Group member Neil Paget said he was shocked by the approval.
"The travesty of this decision is all too apparent when the fundamental facts of the application are considered against the Government's planning framework, which is suppose to protect the environment and communities," added Mr Paget, of Heanor Road, Smalley
UK Coal, based in Doncaster, first applied to mine the site, around Lodge House, off Bell Lane in Smalley, in 2003.
Villagers objected to the scheme from the start because of the effect they believe it would have on them and the environment.
They also fear that it will lead to about 120 lorries a day travelling on local roads near Smalley Richardson Primary School.
Planning permission was refused by Derbyshire County Council in October 2004, but the company appealed and a public inquiry was held in May 2006, with the result yesterday.
The inquiry decision stated that the Secretary of State was satisfied that measures proposed by UK Coal to mitigate any effect on the environment and residents were "acceptable", or could be made acceptable.
These included setting specific noise levels that must not be exceeded, setting times when blasts can be carried out and protecting certain trees.
Rachel Severns, 36, lives in a cottage on the site of the planned mine with her two sons, William, 17, and Brandon, 10.
The new ruling will mean her home of 11 years, which she rents from UK Coal, will be demolished.
She said: "We were devastated by the news. We are going to be homeless if they go ahead."
Amber Valley MP Judy Mallaber said: "Why didn't the planning inspectorate realise the potential damage to the site and the local residents?"
The precedent set by this decision has appalling implications at both national and local levels. No accessible area of shallow coal is now immune from being torn apart.
The Public Inquiry was a sham with claims of unofficial planning policy change and the government inspector conveniently ignoring it's own guidelines.
The communities involved were told by Margaret Beckett herself that as long as there is a labour government there will be no relaxation of the guidelines advising refusal if the mining is against the best interest of the local community.
This decision has effectively marked a policy change, and this instance will be used to defend every other opencast application from now on.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-16 10:24:00
Now another environmental issue has concluded after a three year battle by local residents.
The Government gave UK Coal the go-ahead to mine a 334-acre site on greenbelt land close to Shipley Country Park and three Derbyshire villages, extracting one million tonnes of coal over four-and-a-half years.
Protesters from Shipley, West Hallam and Mapperley had tried to block the plans believing the mine will increase pollution and traffic as well as destroying local wildlife.
And they now feel the environment has been left unprotected by the Government's public inquiry outcome.
Smalley Action Group member Neil Paget said he was shocked by the approval.
"The travesty of this decision is all too apparent when the fundamental facts of the application are considered against the Government's planning framework, which is suppose to protect the environment and communities," added Mr Paget, of Heanor Road, Smalley
UK Coal, based in Doncaster, first applied to mine the site, around Lodge House, off Bell Lane in Smalley, in 2003.
Villagers objected to the scheme from the start because of the effect they believe it would have on them and the environment.
They also fear that it will lead to about 120 lorries a day travelling on local roads near Smalley Richardson Primary School.
Planning permission was refused by Derbyshire County Council in October 2004, but the company appealed and a public inquiry was held in May 2006, with the result yesterday.
The inquiry decision stated that the Secretary of State was satisfied that measures proposed by UK Coal to mitigate any effect on the environment and residents were "acceptable", or could be made acceptable.
These included setting specific noise levels that must not be exceeded, setting times when blasts can be carried out and protecting certain trees.
Rachel Severns, 36, lives in a cottage on the site of the planned mine with her two sons, William, 17, and Brandon, 10.
The new ruling will mean her home of 11 years, which she rents from UK Coal, will be demolished.
She said: "We were devastated by the news. We are going to be homeless if they go ahead."
Amber Valley MP Judy Mallaber said: "Why didn't the planning inspectorate realise the potential damage to the site and the local residents?"
The precedent set by this decision has appalling implications at both national and local levels. No accessible area of shallow coal is now immune from being torn apart.
The Public Inquiry was a sham with claims of unofficial planning policy change and the government inspector conveniently ignoring it's own guidelines.
The communities involved were told by Margaret Beckett herself that as long as there is a labour government there will be no relaxation of the guidelines advising refusal if the mining is against the best interest of the local community.
This decision has effectively marked a policy change, and this instance will be used to defend every other opencast application from now on.
Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-16 10:24:00
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