Skip to content or view mobile version

Home | Mobile | Editorial | Mission | Privacy | About | Contact | Help | Security | Support

A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Are we the next to be labelled a 'Barrier to Enterprise"/

Steve Leary | 07.03.2011 12:52 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis | Birmingham | Sheffield

In our new press release "Are we the next to be labelled 'A Barrier to Enterprise' "(PR 101) links the publication of our latest Briefing Note "Energy Policy and the proposed National Planning Policy Framework" (E2) to what the Prime Minister said in Cardiff yesterday to conclude that the outcome predicted in "Energy Policy and the proposed National Planning Policy Framework" that rules governing the approval of opencast mines predicted in E2 is now even more likely.

MOPG PR 101 7/3/11


ARE WE THE NEXT TO BE LABELED AS A ‘BARRIER TO ENTERPRISE’?

In collecting new evidence which might affect the outcome not only of the Minorca Opencast Mine Application, but all future opencast mine applications, campaigners it seems, have unwittingly stumbled into a major political controversy. Proposed changes in planning policy, which could make it easier not only for UK Coal plc to be successful with their plans for the Minorca site, but provide assistance for all English opencast mine applicants in the future, seemed to be central to the Prime Minister’s implication that, following current rules and procedures by which such planning applications were assessed, were proving to be a ‘Barrier to Enterprise’ (1)

This is because research undertaken for the Minorca Opencast Protest Group arising from the unsuccessful attempt to introduce a mandatory 500m Buffer Zone in England with Andrew Bridgen’s Private Member’s Bill. reveals that Coal Producers like UK Coal plc have long nurtured plans to have the rules governing decisions about where to have opencast mines changed – and now, with the Conservative Government carrying out a root and branch reform of planning policy, they are hopeful of decisively changing the rules in their favour.

In his latest Briefing Note (E2) “Energy Policy and the proposed National Planning Policy Framework and the Minorca Application,” Steve Leary a member of the Minorca Opencast Protest Group details how the current planning policy, which treats applications for opencast coal mines as a special case, is now under threat especially in light of the Prime Minister’s speech made at the Conservative Spring Forum Conference yesterday.

Currently coal mining proposals are different from other mineral extraction proposals, because the assumption behind assessing such planning applications is that, unless certain conditions are met, there is a presumption against approving each planning application.

Planning applications for other minerals are not treated in this way. The Briefing Note goes on to explain how organisations which UK Coal plc belongs too, the Coal Producers Association (CoalPro) and the Confederation of British Industries (CBI) have been lobbying successive Governments with a view to getting the rules affecting coal mining applications relaxed.

They now believe they have a chance. Andrew Stunell, the Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, in giving reasons why the Government could not support the 500m Buffer Zone Bill and why planning for Minerals was not part of the ‘Localism’ Bill said

“Yes, I can. It is because minerals extraction will form part of the national planning policy framework.”

The new research for MOPG reveals that if the lobbying for relaxing the rules is successful, that those opposing such applications may find themselves in a worse position than the current one. This is because the proposed National Planning Policy Framework could well indicate that coal was a mineral of ‘national strategic importance’ and that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government could then set a target for national coal production, which those companies applying for new opencast mines could cite as a powerful reason for the granting of new planning permissions.

The Prime Minister’s speech yesterday could be a further indication that this change is more likely, especially as those involved with assessing such planning applications were singled out as being a ‘Barrier to Enterprise’ when he said that it was

“Because for over a decade in this country the enemies of enterprise have had their way. Taxing. Regulating. Smothering. Crushing. Getting in the way.”

and

“So I can announce today that we are taking on the enemies of enterprise. The bureaucrats in government departments who concoct those ridiculous rules and regulations that make life impossible, particularly for small firms. The town hall officials who take forever with those planning decisions that can be make or break for a business - and the investment and jobs that go with it.”

The Briefing Note concludes with the following statement

“ If the Minerals Industry are successful in their aims, and this new National Planning Policy Framework does state that coal is a strategically important national mineral and sit does set a target for coal production it will carry great weight if the final outcome of the Minorca Application and all future English opencast mine applications awaits a final determination.

If that was the case then expect Leicestershire County Council or a Planning Inspector if it has gone to Appeal, to approve not only this application, but any Application for an extension at the Minorca site as well.

THIS IS THAT SERIOUS AN ISSUE!!!”

Copies of the Briefing Note “Energy Policy and the proposed National Planning Policy Framework” (E2) are free to download from:

 http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/mopg-briefing-notes-series.html

The Government is due to publish a draft statement on the National Planning Policy Framework in the summer and a further round of consultation on the Framework will follow involving the House of Commons Select Committee on Communities and Local Government.

Terry Morrell, MOPG’s Chairperson said

“After the Prime Minister’s statement yesterday that the Government wanted to ‘take on’ the ‘Enemies of Enterprise’.We fear that although we have legitimate grounds on which to object to this Application, we too will soon be labelled a ‘Barrier to Enterprise’

We want to make it clear that Planning Officers at Leicestershire County Council do not as far as we know, delay complex planning applications such as those for new opencast mine sites. Admittedly it does take a long time to process such applications and Authorities such as Leicestershire County Council are dependent on other statutory agencies as well as the Applicant forwarding information that can help the Council reach a conclusion. Often, this is what causes the delay. We would also like to put on record our appreciation on the way Officers of the Council have responded to our enquiries and requests for information over the Minorca Surface Mine Application.

However, simplifying the system and making it quicker, cheaper and easier for Applicants to gain approval as part of an attack on ‘Barriers to Enterprise’ risks throwing out the baby with bathwater and leaving local people with less opportunity to successfully oppose new opencast mine applications.

All of us who are currently opposing opencast mine here and elsewhere In England should take this threat very seriously. There will be an opportunity to comment on a draft of the National Planning Policy Framework which we, the Minorca Opencast Protest Group, will take advantage of and we urge other groups and persons opposed to opencast mining to also comment on the draft proposals, if it is proposed to change the rules about opencast mine applications.

Steve Leary is quite right to draw our attention to this new threat which could, in our view, significantly weaken our case against the Minorca Surface Mine Application if the issue is still outstanding when the proposed National Planning Policy Framework comes into force. If this includes coal becoming a ‘mineral of national importance’ and the Framework becomes policy before the outcome of the Minorca Surface mine is finally determined then this will be a black day for all groups such as ours opposing opencast mine applications.

MOPG will be circulating this Briefing Note to other protest groups, the MP’s in the House of Commons dealing with the Committee Stage of the Localism Bill, the members of the Select Committee on Communities and Local Government and those members of the House of Commons who spoke in support of the 2nd reading of the 500m Buffer Zone Debate.

Can I also take this opportunity to publically thank Steve Leary for all the efforts he has made to keep this campaign going over the last three and a half years? He has announced that he has retired from some of the more prominent roles he has played for MOPG for personal reasons, but this new Briefing Note is evidence that he will still be providing us with crucial information about how we can best defeat this application. “

END END END

References
1) “Building a Better Future”, Speech by the Prime Minister David Cameron, Conservative Spring Forum 2010 Conference @

 http://www.conservatives.com/News/News_stories/2011/03/Building_a_better_future.aspx

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTACT:
TERRY MORRELL, CHAIRPERSON, THE MINORCA OPENCAST PROTEST GROUP

tel 01530 810319 or 07988697554

EMAIL  terry@terrymorrell.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MOPG PLEASE GO TO:
 http://www.mopg.co.uk or
 http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/minorca-protest.html

FOLLOW NEWS ABOUT MOPG and UK COAL on TWITTER by logging on to  http://twitter.com/seftonchase

Steve Leary
- e-mail: steve46leary@googlemail.com
- Homepage: http://lhttp://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/minorca-protest.html

Upcoming Coverage
View and post events
Upcoming Events UK
24th October, London: 2015 London Anarchist Bookfair
2nd - 8th November: Wrexham, Wales, UK & Everywhere: Week of Action Against the North Wales Prison & the Prison Industrial Complex. Cymraeg: Wythnos o Weithredu yn Erbyn Carchar Gogledd Cymru

Ongoing UK
Every Tuesday 6pm-8pm, Yorkshire: Demo/vigil at NSA/NRO Menwith Hill US Spy Base More info: CAAB.

Every Tuesday, UK & worldwide: Counter Terror Tuesdays. Call the US Embassy nearest to you to protest Obama's Terror Tuesdays. More info here

Every day, London: Vigil for Julian Assange outside Ecuadorian Embassy

Parliament Sq Protest: see topic page
Ongoing Global
Rossport, Ireland: see topic page
Israel-Palestine: Israel Indymedia | Palestine Indymedia
Oaxaca: Chiapas Indymedia
Regions
All Regions
Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World
Other Local IMCs
Bristol/South West
Nottingham
Scotland
Social Media
You can follow @ukindymedia on indy.im and Twitter. We are working on a Twitter policy. We do not use Facebook, and advise you not to either.
Support Us
We need help paying the bills for hosting this site, please consider supporting us financially.
Other Media Projects
Schnews
Dissident Island Radio
Corporate Watch
Media Lens
VisionOnTV
Earth First! Action Update
Earth First! Action Reports
Topics
All Topics
Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista
Major Reports
NATO 2014
G8 2013
Workfare
2011 Census Resistance
Occupy Everywhere
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands
G20 London Summit
University Occupations for Gaza
Guantanamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
COP15 Climate Summit 2009
Carmel Agrexco
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Stop Sequani
Stop RWB
Climate Camp 2008
Oaxaca Uprising
Rossport Solidarity
Smash EDO
SOCPA
Past Major Reports
Encrypted Page
You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.
If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

Global IMC Network


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech