Dougie McKenzie: Open-cast application plumbs new depths

Published on Monday 17 August 2009 09:43

Mining will impact on environment and our health, writes Dougie McKenzie

SCOTTISH COAL has applied for planning permission to develop a major open-cast coal mine just outside Edinburgh. The site lies on the Midlothian/East Lothian boundary, in an area designated of great landscape value and adjacent to a number of listed wildlife sites.

The application has been submitted to Midlothian Council to extract two million tonnes of coal from an area only 500 metres from the village of Cousland and 1,250m from Ormiston.

A group of representatives from many of the affected parties – local residents, employers, and environmental and leisure groups have come together to form Communities Against Airfield Open Cast (CAAOC) to protest.

In addition to the obvious damage to the countryside, what we, the members of CAAOC, find even more alarming is the negative health impact on the surrounding area. The community is concerned about the potential detrimental health impact of airborne dust particles and other pollution arising from the open-cast site. The proximity of the mine to the local primary school in Ormiston is clearly a cause for concern.

Open-cast mining could cause significant instability to the surrounding land on which houses and farms are situated, due to the existence of disused underground limestone mines. There is also significant uncertainty as to the location of old mine workings, therefore those of us living in and around Cousland find little comfort in any reassurances offered regarding the safety of blasting operations.

There are many businesses, including those in the leisure and tourism industry, in the area which could also be adversely affected.

I would urge anyone who is concerned to contact their local councillors, MSPs and Midlothian Council planning department to lodge their objections as soon as possible.

A public meeting will be held in Cousland Village Hall on Thursday, 10 September at 7pm.

Dougie McKenzie is chairman of Communities Against Airfield Open Cast