Shotton opencast: Your questions, their answers
TWO weeks ago the News Post Leader asked readers to send in their questions over controversial plans for an open cast coal mine in Shotton, Cramlington. Here we print the questions with the answers provided by the developer, the Banks Group.
Q) According to the air quality report by A. King, his recommendation for reducing the air pollution was the use of water sprays in large quantities. Where will the run-off water go and how will Banks prevent contamination of the River Blyth? According to the OS map of the site, the ground slopes down from Down Hill towards Plessey Woods and Stannington Vale. In recent years the River Blyth has been cleaned up to the extent that otters and fresh water shrimps peculiar to the river have returned. Can Banks guarantee the river won't be polluted? (Morag Forsyth, Cramlington)
A) Run-off water is collected in a series of ditches and settlement lagoons, cleaned and then discharged in accordance with the strict limits set by the Environment Agency Discharge Consent. The Environment Agency set limits that ensure the river will not be affected. The discharge would also be monitored regularly by the Environment Agency and our Environment Team at Banks and reported to the Liaison Committee meetings.
Q) In light of the north east's position near the top of UK league tables for teenage pregnancies and one-night stands, how can Banks justify sanctioning the land-sculpting of a naked pagan goddess, calling it Northumberlandiaand claiming it as a "gateway to Northumberland"? (Morag Forsyth, Cramlington).
A) Speaking about the inspiration behind Northumberlandia, Charles Jencks said: "Northumberlandia does not relate to a particular goddess or religion, it is a landscape which incorporates references to the human body towards which we have a natural empathy. The landform can be enjoyed in parts and within many different contexts including the distant landscape, the causeways, lakes and willow islands, and viewing pavilions."
Q) MSD, Cova Products and AESICA have all objected, stating it puts their businesses at risk which would cost thousands of jobs, there are lots of alternative sites available. Why not find another site? (Kieran Kelly, Cramlington)
A) Our view is that all jobs in Northumberland are important and the county does not need to choose between mining and coal based industry, and pharmaceutical businesses. The above businesses have raised concerns about air quality, which is something that both ourselves and an independent air quality expert believe we have solved through our work on dust suppression. It is worth noting that their objection does not state that thousands of jobs will be lost. We believe the Shotton site represents the only substantial coal reserve in Northumberland capable of meeting the low sulphur requirements of Alcan over the next ten years. It is an accepted position that there are not lots of alternative sites which can be worked in an environmentally acceptable way. Furthermore this site will provide new jobs and maintain a significant number of jobs.
Q) Shotton does not contain low sulphur coal as you state, but rather medium to high sulphur as shown on your own maps. Why do you misrepresent the facts in this way? (Kieran Kelly, Cramlington)
A) The coal reserve on our proposed Shotton site will be blended to provide a sub one per cent sulphur content coal to Alcan, in comparison the average sulphur content of coal in the UK is 1.7 per cent. The coal reserve at Shotton will allow Alcan to meet current and future environmental legislation set by the government.
Q) I understand that there are old mine workings in the area of Cramlington where I live. On the new playing field adjacent to my estate there is an old mine shaft. My concern is that the blasting works can make these workings unstable. I have lived in my present house for nearly 20 years without any sign of subsidence so I think we can assume a stable environment at present. What steps has Banks taken to investigate the possibility of subsidence being caused by any disused mines collapsing? If any subsidence were to occur what are Banks plans to rectify the situation, given as said previously, the environment is stable? (Terry Lawrence, Cramlington)
A) Blasting would take place a maximum of once per day (Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4pm), lasting a maximum of two seconds and it is only proposed for the Western part of the site, a significant distance from Cramlington.
Vibration levels will not be high enough to have an effect on residents of Cramlington or old mine workings. We have a lot of experience with blasting adjacent to old mine workings and mine workings that are far closer than those described and we are confident that there will be no impact.
Q) My retirement plans aim for retirement at 60, six years away. The noise and dust from these workings will have an effect on the value of my house. This will in turn affect my resources in retirement. What compensation for the loss of property value are Banks prepared to make? Perhaps the council intends to reduce the community charge for properties disturbed by noise and pollution.
What are Banks plans to reduce noise and pollution for residents living downwind of this proposed mine? Both trains and planes taking off from the airport can be heard clearly. (Terry Lawrence, Cramlington)
A) Banks has won a number of awards for its environmental performance including two from the Noise Abatement Society and two from the Coal Authority in the last two years alone. We are confident that our proposals will not have a detrimental effect on the residents of Cramlington due to our high environmental standards, many of which are world first technologies in the mining industry. In our experience property values will not be affected, in fact the provision of a large public park and landform sculpture may have a positive effect on house prices.
Q) There has been a lot of negativity surrounding this application, please could someone illuminate on the positive aspect of how many, and what type, of jobs may be available to local people. (Alan Savage, Alston Avenue, Cramlington)
A) In a letter of support for the proposed Shotton site, Alcan make it clear that the coal from the site is vital for its continuing viability and future investment, Alcan employs 670 people directly. The Banks Group employs 350 people, many of which live in Northumberland and the rest of the north east region. Many of these jobs rely on The Banks Group coal mining business. As well as this there will be up to 100 skilled jobs on the site, which we hope will be taken by local people. There will be some employment maintained from our current Northumberland site, but additional resources will be needed. Aside from this a recent economic impact assessment of the Northumberlandia Landform Park suggest a further 40 jobs could be created and maintained by the Park over the next few years.
Q) How much blasting will take place in a 24 hours, 7 day period? (L.E Shanks, Cranshaw Place, Cramlington)
A) Blasting would only take place Monday to Friday and there would be a maximum of one blast per day lasting a maximum of 2 seconds between 10am and 4pm. Blasting would only take place in the western part of the site, furthest from Cramlington.
Q) Is it true on the jobs front the Banks Group will bring operators from other sites to fill any jobs and the jobs for Cramlington will be non-existent? (L.E Shanks, Cranshaw Place, Cramlington)
A) We will be maintaining the employment of staff on our current south east Northumberland site, there would also be new jobs created, which we hope will be filled by other local people.
Public deserves better than this smokescreen
SO, Northumberland's Fire Chief has finally admitted his proposals are all about inflicting cuts on the fire service.
At the county council's area committee meeting at New Hartley last week, he was questioned about a senior fire officers meeting that took place about three years ago and the topic that was discussed then was how to make cuts in the fire service budget.
It now transpires that even then, fire chiefs were secretly planning fire station closures in south east Northumberland.
The question now has to be asked, why then all this current misinformation from Mr Hesler as he tries, unsuccessfully, to convince everybody that his plan is about improvements, when it is quite clearly all about cutting the service.
What is even more ludicrous is that he wants the county council to take on millions of pounds of debt to provide a service with less firemen and longer response times to fires.
Throughout the meeting, he did nothing but rebuke everybody else's opinions, but one important matter that he should be reminded of is that the fire brigade is a public service and therefore the public's views on how it is run now or in the future, should be given serious consideration.
Mr Hesler's dislike of the firemen's union was also quite apparent and that is worrying as any senior manager in any organisation should always be willing to work with union representatives, especially when such changes and cuts as he wants to impose are on the agenda.
The FBU did in fact put forward a very sensible alternative, which proposed to only provide those new facilities that were currently lacking and not to make unnecessary wholesale changes in a service that is already meeting its targets, admitted by Mr Hesler, almost 100 per cent of the time.
As I have already mentioned, there now seems to be some other motive behind the reason for the closure of our local fire stations and you do not have to be a genius to work out that yet again it is about more cuts to our public services.
To try to hide this behind some poorly thought out plan and call it 'fire service improvements' is an insult to the public who quite rightly deserve better than Mr Hesler's pathetic smokescreen.
CAROLINE SMITH
New Hartley
Pleased to hear of tree preservation order at school
I WAS pleased to hear that Northumberland County Council have placed a preservation order on two trees in the grounds of Ridley High School. They have both scientific and educational interest.
The trees were planted in the summer of 1967 by the then third year secondary students when the school was Newlands Co Secondary.
The two species Gingko biloba (commonly called the Maidenhair Tree) and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn Redwood). I can confirm that they were used, at least from 1967 until 1982, to provide material evidence for work on evolution.
Fossils of Gingko are known from the Pliocene (roughly one to ten million years ago), the Miocene (45 - 70 million years ago), and the Triassic (100 to 225 million years ago). It is native to China and was introduced into this country in 1754.
Until the early 1940s the Metasequoia was only known from fossils. In 1941 the tree was found growing wild in China. Both trees therefore show amazing continuity of generations.
Following advice from the supplying nursery, both trees (as saplings) were planted in an internal courtyard at the school to provide shelter from the elements.
I'm aware of three other Gingko bilobas growing in Blyth, but no Metasequoia.
JOSEPH HORNSBY
Broadway
Blyth
Shocked at results of noise study
AS a musician, I am particularly conscious of the fact that, after a loud concert, many people will experience temporary noises in their ears or head known as tinnitus. Unfortunately, for four million people in the UK, these sounds are permanent causing stress, anxiety and, in some cases, making it impossible to lead a normal life.
It is hard to imagine how difficult it must be to live with this condition day in, day out and I was particularly shocked to see the results of a new study by the charity Deafness Research UK which found that over three quarters of those going to their GP with tinnitus are not receiving any help at all.
Although there's still no cure for tinnitus, it can be treated and the charity has produced a free information pack explaining how to manage and adapt to the condition.
If you, or someone you know, are affected by tinnitus, I urge you to order your free copy today by calling the Deafness Research UK Information Service on 020 7679 8970.
Join me in supporting the Deafness Research UK campaign for better treatment for tinnitus.
CHERYL BAKER
Enlighten me, please
I NOTE the reference to the North East Assembly and the appointment of its new director Ms Jo Boaden.
I was under the impression that the North East Assembly had been rejected by the electorate and it left John Prescott with a bloody nose for trying to form one.
So please tell me where this assembly came from, who formed it, who is in it, were they voted in and who pays them, what do they do, or is it just jobs for the boys and girls specially appointed by this current useless government?
So, please, do your best to enlighten me and many more who voted against it.
L PINCHAM
Welfare Crescent
Newbiggin by the Sea
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Blyth
Monday 21 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
