Mining industry unites against rule change

FEARS remained for the future of Scotland’s coal mining industry last night as industry and trades union leaders declared themselves unappeased by reassurances over the effect of controversial new planning guidelines on opencast mining jobs, and vowed to continue their opposition.

Speaking in response to comments to Holyrood’s communities committee by deputy minister for communities Johann Lamont, David Brewer, director general of the confederation of UK Coal Producers (CoalPro) accused the minister of "missing the point" of their objection to the rule change.

Lamont had hinted strongly to the committee that she is in favour of a new proposal to introduce a "presumption against" planning permission for new opencast mine works. The proposed guideline is expected to come into immediate force as soon as it gets final ministerial approval.

Known as SPP 16, the rule change will require that future applicants for planning permission to start new opencast works, will have to overcome a "presumption against" the granting of consent, instead of the "presumption for" convention currently in force in most areas of planning law.

Nicky Wilson, president and general secretary of the Scottish NUM, has accused the proponents of the change of "unfairly discriminating against the mining industry".

But Lamont insisted that the new guideline "does not signal a major policy change". She characterised it as an attempt to bring Scottish planning procedure in line with England’s and "to strike the right balance between the legitimate concerns of the communities and the needs of the industry".

But CoalPro’s Brewer dismissed these assurances, pledging that the industry would continue to make representations to the Scottish Executive.

"I’m afraid the minister gives herself away when she talks about putting Scottish planning in line with England’s." he said. "In practice their implementation in England has led to the near-destruction of the English opencast industry."