LIBERAL Democrats in the Whickham area have welcomed the second rejection of plans to opencast half a million tonnes of coal from a site next to the Gibside Estate, near Whickham, Byermoor and Burnopfield.
The application was first considered in October last year by Gateshead Council’s planners. It was brought back to the planning committee today (Wednesday 8th March) to be reconsidered following the submission of new evidence from bodies entitled by law to comment on planning applications.
Last year over 13,000 people signed the Liberal Democrats’ petition against the plans.
Whickham South and Sunniside Councillor, Jonathan Wallace, whose ward covers the area that was subject to the application, said, “We are pleased this has been rejected again.
“All the arguments we put forward last year against this application are just as valid now. It was too close to people’s homes, would have been environmentally damaging and would have sent heavy lorries through residential areas.”
Jonathan’s ward colleague, Councillor Marilynn Ord, said, “Hopefully we have see the back of this application. However, the applicant does have right of appeal. We hope that right is not exercised.
“We want people to be able to get on with their lives without the opencast threat hanging over them”
Had permission been granted for the opencast plans, up to 100 lorries a day would have passed Byermoor and Burnopfield, and passed through Marley Hill, Sunniside, Streetgate and Lobley Hill.
2 comments:
Whatever happened to the thousands of signatures collected by DRAMA (Derwentside Residents Against Mining Application)and Gibside?
I wrote the original petition in May last year, just after the announcement of the planning application. The wording was then used by DRAMA and an adaptation of it at Gibside. The final number of people who signed was well in excess of 13,000 and we think it was over 20,000. We kept a running total of those collected by the Lib Dems and this came to 13,000.
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