Developers forced to downsize £30m mine plans amid outcry

The Yorkshire Post has learned that the country’s largest coal producer, UK Coal, and Peel Environmental, are braced to resubmit revised proposals to transform the former North Selby Mine into a £23.5m green energy facility.

Last year, Science City York (SCY) stepped away from the scheme after York Council confirmed it was serving an enforcement notice against UK Coal over the proposals, following claims original planning rules stipulated the site should be returned to agricultural use.

Bosses at SCY, which was launched in 1998 and has helped establish more than 100 technology companies and create thousands of jobs, have denied the decision was to do with the enforcement action and said it was instead down to financial pressures.

An appeal against the enforcement order has now been pushed back until October this year.

The revised plans, which have been scaled back from the original £30m proposals, will include a plant propagation facility powered in part by the anaerobic digestion plant which will recover heat and electricity from up to 60,000 tonnes of organic waste per year.

The North Selby Mine Action Group (NSMAG), which has been staging a long-running campaign against the plans, says the new proposals would mean there are more than 70 heavy goods vehicles a day bringing waste to the site from around the region.

Meanwhile, it is estimated the plant propagation site would generate up to 200 additional car movements a day.

Spokesman Mark Oldridge said: “It is clear from the outset the plans will lead to significant noise, odour and traffic pollution for people living in the area.

“Sadly, yet again UK Coal and Peel appear to be putting shareholder profit before the health, welfare and environment of local families.”

David Randon, chairman of Wheldrake Parish Council, said: “The parish council has serious concerns about the proposals.

“Apart from the environmental impact on residents of the parish who live near to the site, there are concerns about possible future expansion of operations which could lead to more traffic on the A19 in addition to that which will be generated by the current proposals.”

The plans would create up to 50 full time permanent posts and up to 100 seasonal posts across the two facilities.

Richard Barker, development manager for Peel Environmental, said: “Since we last consulted with the local community, we have been in the process of developing our plans for the former North Selby mine site.

“We’ve taken on-board community comments about our previous proposals, and are pleased to announce the new scheme, which comprises an anaerobic digestion facility alongside a horticultural glasshouse, both contributors to the rural economy.

“Over the next few months, we will carry out consultation with the local community on the new proposals, which will take place prior to the submission of a planning application to York Council.”

A spokesman for UK Coal, which owns the site, said: “We felt it would be useful for those proposals to be consulted on and be submitted for determination by York Council prior to the determination of the planning appeal.

“We were grateful to York Council and the planning inspectorate for their agreement in the slight deferral of the appeal to allow this consultation to occur.”

A York Council spokeswoman said yesterday: “We are aware that UK Coal/Peel are working on a proposal and if a formal planning application is submitted, York Council will deal with this in the normal and appropriate way.”