City council recognizes merits in Brenkley Lane extension

Newcastle City Council officers recommend approval of plans for additional coal extraction at surface mine

PLANS to allow additional work at Banks Mining’s Brenkley Lane surface mine, which sits to the north of Newcastle, have been recommended for approval by officers at one of the councils considering them.

Banks have identified an additional 14ha area on the site from which they want to mine more than 500,000 further tonnes of coal. The additional work would not require any extension of the site’s current operational timescale, with the site still set to be completely restored by the end of 2021.

In September last year, Banks submitted a planning application for the project to both Northumberland County Council and Newcastle City Council, as the site straddles their respective areas, and Newcastle City Council officers have now recommended that the City Council’s planning committee approve the plans when they meet tomorrow (Friday 2 May) to discuss them.

Mark Dowdall, Banks’ environment and community director, said: ‘Brenkley Lane has operated in a safe, responsible and efficient way for the last four years, and we’re pleased that Newcastle City Council’s officers have recognized the many merits of our planning application in their recommendation for approval of it.

‘Our mining sites deliver significant employment, supply chain and community benefits to the local area, and we hope that the members of the City Council’s planning committee will see fit to follow their officers’ recommendation.’

A decision by Northumberland County Council on the planning application is expected in the coming months.