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Huge colliery development gets go-ahead
PLANS to develop a 300-acre former colliery site in West Yorkshire, creating 1,000 new jobs through the building of over 900 houses and other properties, have been given the green light.
UK Coal said the development of the former Prince of Wales pit at Pontefract will be one of the largest-ever brownfield regeneration projects.
Prince of Wales was the oldest colliery in Britain when it closed six years ago and the site will now be transformed with houses, retail outlets, restaurants and cafes as well as a medical centre, day nursery, community centre and parkland.
Mining activities on the site, located close to the M1 and A1, date back to the 1860s, but ceased in August 2002.
Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears, through the Government Office for Yorkshire and the Humber, has given the green light to the project, the company announced today.
Wakefield Council approved the development project in August, but was required to refer the proposals for government endorsement.
UK Coal Chief Executive Jon Lloyd said: "The decision by the Secretary of State now paves the way for the regeneration of an area with excellent communication links, a versatile and enthusiastic workforce and a community with a desire to move forward."
Development Director Tim Love added: "We look forward to building on the close working relationship and understandings developed with all the interested parties over recent years, and turning the blueprint of a new future into a reality."
Work on removing coal slurry from the site, a scheme approved under an earlier permission, has been under way for some time. The new consent will allow a further 1.5 million tonnes of slurry to be extracted from the former colliery lagoons.
Preparations for site development activities are in hand, though the start date for the housing development will remain under regular review due to the continued fragile state of the housing market, said UK Coal.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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