§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will indicate the approximate dates for the commencement of production and attainment of peak production and the projected new mines to be located near the villages of Hose, Asfordby and Saltby in the Vale of Belvoir.
§ Mr. EadieCommencement of production would depend upon when the National Coal Board obtained planning permission. The report of the National Coal Board staff and outside consultants envisages that development and build-up to full production would take place over about 12 years.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what he estimates will be the OMS for the projected Belvoir pits compared with other new mines in the National Coal Board 10-year programme.
§ Mr. EadieThe overall estimated output per man-shift for the three mines proposed in North-East Leicestershire is about nine tonnes. I am asking the Chairman of the National Coal Board to write for the hon. Member to answer the second part of the Question.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy how many power station are located within 25 miles of projected mining sites in the Vale of Belvoir; and which stations are intended to be fuelled by the projected coal development.
§ Mr. EadieThe following power stations, which are all coal fired, are located within 25 miles of the projected sites: Nottingham, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Staythorpe, Castle Donington, Spondon and High Marnan. The CEGB does not purchase coal from a particular colliery solely for supply to a specific power station. Flexibility is a basic consideration in the operation and development of the CEGB system. Coal purchased by the CEGB from the proposed Vale of Belvoir developments would be integrated into the supply pattern of other Midland coals.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what per cent. of National 568W Coal Board total reserves are located in Belvoir Coalfield the Vale of Belvoir.
§ Mr. EadieThere are about 500 million tons of operating reserves in the North-East Leicestershire coalfield—reserves which can be worked from existing mines or which have been identified as suitable for working from potential new mines. This is about 8 per cent of the national total of operating reserves and about 1 per cent. of the national total of technically though not necessarily economically recoverable reserves.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy why priority has been given to the Vale of Belvoir for coal mining operations in view of other available sources.
§ Mr. EadieAs I said in reply to a Question from the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) on 25th July 1977, the National Coal Board intends to submit applications for planning consent for new mines as and when sufficient information about reserves and other aspects has been gathered to justify the applications.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will revise the Subsidence Code, derived from Section 2 of and Schedule 1 to the Coal Industry Act 1975, to take into account consequential damage, disturbance and loss of profit sustained by those affected by coal mining operations in the Belvoir area.
§ Mr. EadieI would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to by hon. Friend the Member for Blaydon (Mr. Woof) on 2nd March 1976—[Vol. 906, c. 497–8]—which stated that compensation for coal mining subsidence had been improved following the report of the Working Group on Mining Subsidence Compensation.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether Her Majesty's Government will consider Belvoir coal as a national reserve and defer mining of the resources for 15 years.
§ Mr. EadieI see no reason why the National Coal Board should not proceed to seek planning consent to mine the coal reserves in North-East Leicestershire.
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§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will make available a copy of the consultant's report from Thyssen (GB) Ltd. and Leonard and Partners which covers an area south of the Trent, more particularly Leicestershire and Lincolnshire including Belvoir.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) whether he has considered mining part of the Belvoir resources from an existing colliery, namely, from the Cotgrave colliery; (2) due to the need to avoid excessive subsidence, what is the percentage recovery factor for Belvoir coal; alternatively, if he will estimate the total tonnage of coal sterilised through the provision of support for buildings and land works; (3) if the presence of thick water-bearing strata at depth in the Vale of Belvoir will delay the scheduled commencement of mining operations in the Vale of Belvoir; and if these geological features present a hazard for miners working in the area; (4) what he estimates to be the ash and sulphur content of Belvoir coal; (5) what is the grade of agricultural land in the 90 square mile area of the Vale of Belvoir likely to be affected by coal mining operations, the acreage of land likely to be utilised up to the attainment of peak production, including land for shale disposal, housing estates for 3,800 miners and their families and contractors' staff and industrial premises and the annual absorption of land thereafter; (6) where it is proposed to locate the 100 to 170 million tons of shale and other waste products likely to be extracted during the life of the three mines located in the Vale of Belvoir; (7) whether, following completion of the initial programme for three mines in the Vale of Belvoir, additional mines may be required to recover the balance of coal available in the area; and, if so, what is the number envisaged, (8) if waste disposal and reclamation conform with the recommendations contained in Chapter 15 and in pages 177–8 of the Stevens Report, "Planning Control over Mineral Working".
§ Mr. EadieI would refer the hon. Member to the report referred to in my570W previous answer today to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy if a cost benefit analysis has been prepared arising from the industrialisation of the Belvoir area to assess, inter alia, the impact of mining, loss of agricultural land, injury to amenity and landscape and the urbanisation of villages.
§ Mr. Guy BarnettI have been asked to reply.
Not to my knowledge.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy what are the traffic impact implications arising from mining in the Belvoir area, bearing in mind that there is no satisfactory infrastructure to cover extensive industrial investment.
§ Mr. William RodgersI have been asked to reply.
The initial traffic implications relate to the setting up of NCB installations and meeting the needs of the population increases associated with this stage. The longer term implications relate to the transport of coal and to meeting the needs of the population engaged in the mining and ancillary functions. The possible pithead sites under investigation are all within reasonable distance of railway lines or the formation of former lines and it is expected that rail facilities will be arranged for movement of bulk loads of construction materials and coal.
The Belvoir area lies between A1, A46 and A47 trunk roads and the A52, a principal road expected to become a trunk road later this year. A46 southward from the coalfield area and A1 could cope with any likely increase in road traffic. There are already proposals to improve the other lengths of trunk road and these will take account of forecast increases in traffic. Other roads in the area bounded by these trunk roads are the responsibility of the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire County Councils and it will be for them to decide on the scope and timing of any improvements which may become necessary.