Mining, property and energy company UK COAL has confirmed that it has lodged a planning appeal in a bid to progress a decision on its application to extract around 900,000 tonnes of coal from 10 seams laying close to the surface of land on the western periphery of Telford.

UK COAL lodged the planning application for the Huntington Lane surface mine scheme with Telford and Wrekin Council a year ago - but has received no indication as to when the Council will determine proposals which would create around 90 jobs on site or with the suppliers of goods and services.

"It is with great reluctance that we have decided to take these steps, but in the absence of a response from the Council, we have been left with little alternative," UK COAL said in a statement.

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The company added: "Since lodging the planning application on November 30 last year, UK COAL has responded to Council requests for technical information, and has agreed several requests for an extension of the determination period to be granted.

"To date, we have had no feedback regarding a timetable for determination and no obvious signs that the application will be considered in the near future.

"The action we have taken will in no way impair or impede the rights of the public to express their views on this planning application.

"Indeed, the action is designed to bring forward the date of a public examination of proposals, and to foreshorten the period of uncertainty that Telford Council’s non determination is creating."

UK COAL has received no response from the Council since advising of its intentions on November 14, and has yet to receive a response from the Planning Inspectorate. The once-and-for-all-time mining plan covers an area of 93.5 hectares, but coal and

brickmaking fireclay would be extracted from only about half this area. Coal production activities would take 32 months and the site would be fully restored, going from green to green in 41 months.

Of the 90 jobs the project would create, 40 would be on site and 50 others involved in the supply of goods and services.

(CD)