§ Lord Sefton of Garstonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applications have been made for the opening of coal mines of all kinds (including opencast) during the past two years and whether they will give guidance to planning authorities in view of the possible effects on the environment.
701WA
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Hesketh)Information on the number of planning applications submitted for opening new coal mines is not held centrally. According to statistics published by the County Planning Officers' Society, 90 applications by both British Coal and the licensed sector for opencast coal mines were determined in England, Scotland and Wales during 1987–88. Similar statistics are not published for applications in respect of deep coal mines, but British Coal's annual reports for 1987–88 and 1988–89 record that the corporation made one planning application for a new deep mine during that period. That application has been the subject of a local inquiry and the inspector's report is awaited. Information on applications by the private and licensed sectors for new deep mines is not available.
Department of the Environment/Welsh Office Minerals Planning Guidance Notes Nos. 1 and 2, published in January last year, give guidance on the considerations that should be taken into account in handling planning applications for all forms of mineral working. Minerals Planning Guidance Note No. 3, published in May 1988, gives specific guidance on opencast coal mining.