§ Mr. Paul Marland (Gloucestershire, West)I have asked for this debate to seek to focus attention on the great disquiet felt it the Forest of Dean about the possibility of opencast coal mining in the Cannop valley. Much effort is being devoted both locally and nationally to developing the Forest of Dean as a national forest park. During recent discussion on the Forestry Bill, the Forest of Dean was recognised as a special case. I spoke at some length about the efforts being made by the Forestry Commission and others to develop forest trails and picnic sites in the Forest of Dean to encourage more tourists to visit the area.
I appreciate that opencast coal mining creates a number of jobs. I make no bones about the fact that jobs are scarce in the Forest of Dean, but considerable effort is being made by all sorts of enterprise to encourage a growing number of tourists to visit the area and thereby create more employment through catering for the needs of tourists. A great attraction of the Forest of Dean is the tranquillity, beauty and peace that people can enjoy. New enterprises being set up include craft shops, craft centres, small hotels, shops catering for the needs of visitors, camp sites and picnic grounds.
But, of all the attractive spots in the Forest of Dean, the Cannop valley is probably the most outstanding, for it combines the ancient industrial heritage of the district through the Cannop ponds together with a fine stand of old oaks which for hundreds of years have symbolised the Forest of Dean and are still much admired today.
It is here in the Cannop valley as well as elsewhere in the forest that rich deposits of coal apparently have been found. 1 say "apparently" because one local newspaper says that up to 18 million tonnes of coal have been found beneath the surface of the Forest of Dean and up to 1 million tonnes beneath the Cannop valley. All this coal is relatively close to the surface and can be worked easily by opencast methods.
Lest the House should think that the people of the Forest of Dean are unrealistic in their campaign to stop opencast mining in the Cannop valley and have no thought for the nation's future energy requirements—a subject which taxes the brains of us all—I might point out that recently local politicians agreed and co-operated over an opencast mining operation on a 200-acre site in Woor Green. This operation is now complete and in my opinion is a fine example of co-operation among local authorities, local politicians reflecting local opinion, the operators, who have been sensitive to the needs of the area, and the Forestry Commission. It is fair to say that the conservationists, having seen what has been done at Woor Green, are greatly reassured that some of their fears were ill founded.
The local authority, through its planning department, ensured that the site was well screened. When driving along the road past the site, unless one looked very carefully, it was impossible to see that there was anything going on behind t screen of trees, because there was very little noise and nothing could be seen from the road.
The operators, Northern Strip Miners, laid a new road to gain access to the site and planned the road to go out on to a major road, which was approved by the planning 1442 department, so that the minimum of difficulty from congestion with heavy lorries entering and leaving the site would be caused.
The operators also controlled the dust extremely skilfully when the operations were in progress. They dug ponds to preserve the wildlife and to encourage wildlife into the district in future once they moved away. The Forestry Commission has replanted many trees and shrubs in the area which has been cleared by this opencast operation. In addition, considerable work was generated for local people on the site.
It is interesting that, since I have been the Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire, West, only one person has come to see me at my advice centres complaining about the way in which the site was being operated. I put this person in touch with the manager of the site and the complaint was soon sorted out.
I raise this matter to highlight local recognition of the national need for coal and to show what can be done in the Forest of Dean when these diverse interests work and live side by side with thoughtfulness and planning.
The county planning authority has only once refused an application for opencast mining in the Forest of Dean. That was in the case of a site at Ruardean Hill. It was refused on drainage grounds. An appeal went forward to the Secretary of State and he, unfortunately as it turned out, allowed the application. When the operation was completed and the site was reinstated—it must be said that it was well reinstated—whenever it rained, serious flooding occurred below the site. Water cascaded down the road and houses on a lower level were flooded.
The local authority was involved in a great deal of work and went to considerable expense to put matters right. In my opinion, this underlines the value of a little local knowledge in such situations.
We want each application for opencast coal mining in the Forest of Dean looked at on its own merits. Having said that, I must emphasise that the Cannop valley is a sensitive area and that local politicians are nervous that a decision to approve opencast mining in this area could be taken behind their backs and without their involvement.
The fear is given credibility by the fact that the Secretary of State for the Environment has amended the'. Gloucestershire county structure plan, which clearly presumed against any further opencast mining in the Forest of Dean. However, presuming against it does not necessarily preclude it. But the Secretary of State has seen fit to alter this emphasis by saying that opencast mining may take place provided either that the land is improved as a result of the operation or that there is no serious conflict with amenity considerations.
Who is to decide these issues? Are they to be decided by some faceless bureaucrat in Whitehall who does not even know the whereabouts of the Forest of Dean? What about the local politicians who want to be involved? This is what I seek to highlight, because they are nervous that they will not be involved, even though they have demonstrated their willingness to co-operate and to see both sides of the argument in the past.
I see it as my job as the Member of Parliament for the area to make sure that all shades of opinion are given the opportunity of a fair hearing and, if necessary, to go to the highest levels to make sure that it happens. The Gloucestershire county council has responded speedily to the amendments to the Gloucestershire county structure plan and has followed the correct procedure to the letter. 1443 But, with news in a local newspaper of the massive size of these coal discoveries, I felt that I had to bring the matter to the attention of the House and to express the disquiet which exists in the Royal Forest of Dean about the potential clandestine rape of the Cannop valley.
I emphasise again that my constituents are very nervous about the future of opencast coal mining in the Forest of Dean, and I should like an undertaking from the Department of the Environment that irrevocable decisions and actions will not be taken surreptitiously or in a clandestine manner before local interests have had every opportunity to express their views, to raise objections or to back any proposal, if that is what they wish to do.
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§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Hector Monro)I appreciate the concern that my hon. Friend the Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Marland) has expressed. As we all know, he is extremely assiduous in meeting the needs and requirements of his constituents, and it is right that he should have taken this opportunity to raise the matter in this debate.
I welcome this opportunity to speak about opencast coal mining in the Forest of Dean and, in particular, the Cannop valley. When I refer to the Forest of Dean in this context, I mean the forest itself, as administered by the Forestry Commission, and not the district of the same name. I shall deal first with the Cannop valley before considering the broader context of the forest.
The surface area of the valley has not previously been affected by mineral workings. The coal seams in the vicinity of Cannop ponds cover an area of some 90 hectares, about three-quarters of which is covered with conifers planted about 1972. The balance of the area features oak about 150 years of age, much of which traverses the area in three broad strips. The total reserves of coal in the area are said to be about 1 million tonnes.
The private company that now owns several of the seams purchased them from a company that was granted planning permission for test drilling in 1979. But before coal extraction could take place a further planning permission would have to be obtained.
I am unaware of any application for opencast mining relating to the Cannop area. Unlike an application from the National Coal Board—which would be made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy—an application from a private operator would be made to the county council as the appropriate local planning authority. Thus, in the first instance, the decision would be taken by councillors. This, of course, means that local people and interests would be able to inject their views into the debate. No doubt the planning authority would consider the possible impact on the local environment. I am sure, too, that the Forestry Commission would be consulted. There is no question of a decision being taken in advance of considerable local discussion.
Even if planning permission were granted, the applicant could not begin extraction immediately. First, the operator would have to obtain a lease of the land from the Forestry Commission, which would first refer the case to my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in whom responsibility for the Forest of Dean is vested.
1444 If my right hon. Friend agreed in principle that the commission should grant a lease for mining, the commission would negotiate the conditions with the company after taking account of local views. It is likely that, as was the case at Woorgreens—which I shall mention later—the commission would be closely involved in the detailed restoration plans for the site.
The possibility of opencast operations in the Cannop valley depends on many factors. It may be that no development will take place, but if it does it will have to take account of all the factors.
I assure my hon. Friend that I have taken note of the concern he has expressed on behalf of his constituents in the area and that we shall study and bear in mind all that he has said.
The planning policies of the area will soon be governed by the Gloucestershire structure plan, which was submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in March 1980. It included a policy relating to opencast coal mining in the Forest of Dean.
That policy was among the matters selected for discussion at the examination in public of the plan that took place in September 1980. Local interests were represented at the examination, as were the Department of Energy, the National Coal Board and the Forestry Commission. Following the examination, my right hon. Friend published in June his proposals to modify a number of policies in the plan. They took account of the report of the panel that conducted the examination.
Among the proposed modifications was one designed to make the policy relating to opencast mining less restrictive and to permit opencast mining, subject—and I emphasise this—to certain conditions. They were that the land was improved as a result of the operations and that there were no serious conflicts with amenity considerations.
As my hon. Friend has said, the proposed modification has given rise to a significant number of objections which we are considering prior to the approval of the plan.
We are concerned with how we make the best use of our resources. As is frequently the case, we have to take a number of conflicting factors into account before reaching any conclusion as to what our policy should be.
The conflicting factors in this instance can be summarised as the need to be able to extract coal should it be required; the need to improve land for forestry and agriculture when it can be justified; and the need to protect the countryside as a natural habitat of wildlife and as a place of recreation and enjoyment. I noted what my hon. Friend said about the welcome that visitors receive in the forest and about the importance of tourism to the area's economy.
Our island has been blessed with coal, but we can work it only where it can be found. It would be highly imprudent of us, in the light of the uncertainty surrounding future energy supplies as a whole, to overlook the potential contribution that any source of energy may make, even if, at the end of the day, it is decided not to develop it.
The National Coal Board is seeking to maintain a level of opencast production of at least 15 million tonnes per annum. That level of production was called for by the board's "Plan for Coal" and confirmed in 1974, and "Coal for the Future" published in 1977.
1445 As I understand the position, the board has no plans for opencast production in the Forest of Dean at present, although there may be a need for the coal at some time in the future.
As will be clear from my earlier remarks, however, we are not concerned only with opencast mining by the National Coal Board. The Forest of Dean, which has great traditions, which I am pleased to acknowledge, is unique in that most of the coal seams are privately owned. In the 1950s and early 1960s a number of planning permissions were given for the opencast extraction of coal in the forest and the surrounding area. Within the Dean forest park there are no current permisions that have not been taken up.
In order to get the topic we are debating in focus, I would add that the Forest of Dean, which is about 10,000 hectares in extent, is thought to have about 400 hectares of potential land for opencast working—only 4 per cent. of the total. The 400 hectares tend, however, to lie in the centre of the forest. They are concentrated in four or five sites.
I do not think there is any disagreement between myself and my hon. Friend that there are parts of the forest that have been badly damaged by mineral working in the past. There is scope in such areas to improve the land to make it more suitable for forestry or agriculture. The degree of improvement that follows from a scheme for restoration can be measured only over a period of years, but there are examples throughout the country where restoration following opencast mining has been successful.
A good example of that has been at Woorgreens in the forest where about 54 hectares of poor quality forestry land—which included more than 95 per cent. of conifers—has been considerably improved after opencast extraction of about 244,000 tonnes of coal. Indeed, 1446 experience on the site in the planting years 1979–80 and 1980–81 has indicated better growth and survival on the opencast site than on normal clear fell sites. The restoration of the site has permitted the inclusion of more oaks than would previously have been feasible.
Therefore, in the long term, opencast coal mining need not be all bad. It can enable us to develop one of our natural resources and, by means of restoration, lead in some cases to better soil conditions. But it can, of course, also seriously conflict with the protection of our natural environment. As a veteran of lengthy debates on the Wildlife and Countryside Bill, I am only too well away of the depth of feeling rightly held by many people.
In an area such as the Forest of Dean and, in particular, the Dean forest park, which is intended to provide a centre for recreation and enjoyment of the countryside, those environmental considerations assume a particular significance. That makes it all the more important that, if any future workings were to be authorised, any nuisance such as noise and dust should be kept to a minimum. It is important, too, that conditions are imposed to ensure thin the landscape suffers no long-term ill effects. However, it is worth noting that during the working at Woorgreens few environmental problems were encountered.
It is clear from what my hon. Friend has said, and from the objections we have received in connection with the proposed modifications to the structure plan, that many people are concerned with the potential damage to the natural environment and amenities in the forest.
I assure my hon. Friend that, although I cannot anticipate whatever policy on this subject in the structure plan will finally be approved, some reference will be made to the need for any proposals to avoid serious conflict with amenity considerations.