Coal and Colliery Spoil Disposal

13.13 There are parts of Calderdale that are underlain by coal-bearing strata of the Carboniferous Lower Coal Measures series and identified on the Coal Resources Map produced by the Coal Authority in partnership with the British Geological Survey. The broad areas are to the east of Halifax and to the northwest of Todmorden, which form the margins of the exposed Yorkshire and Lancashire coalfields respectively. Historically coal has been worked in these areas, often in association with fireclay, by drift mining, deep mining and other methods. Currently (2006) within the District, there is a small opencast coal operation associated with the Corporal Lane mineral working site (M35). There is no deep/drift mining in the District.

13.14 Government guidance on coal is set out in MPG3: 'Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil'. The Guidance puts the interests of protecting the environment and local communities first by ensuring that planning permissions are only allowed where the development is environmentally acceptable or provides over-riding or community benefits which would outweigh the likely impacts. If both of these requirements are not met then there is a presumption against both deep and opencast coal mining and colliery spoil disposal. The Guidance emphasises that extraction should only take place at the best balance of community, social and economic interests, consistent with the principles of sustainable development. In addition, there is a significant change to earlier advice as the mineral planning authority's assessment of the environmental acceptability or otherwise of individual proposals should now prevail. The following Policy will apply:-

Policy M 5

Coal Extraction and Colliery Spoil Disposal

Proposals for coal extraction and colliery spoil disposal will not be permitted unless it can be demonstrated that:-
  1. the proposals are environmentally acceptable or can be made so by planning conditions or legal agreements/ obligations; or
  2. the proposals provide local or community benefits which clearly outweigh the likely environmental impacts to justify the development; and
  3. in assessing the acceptability of the proposal, regard will be had to material economic, social and environmental factors including:-
  1. the environmental impacts of noise, dust, vibration, blasting, visual intrusion, harm to the water environment, traffic and the consequent cumulative impact on the local amenity;
  2. the effects on landscape, features of archaeological, historic or heritage interest and on agriculture;
  3. the effects on sites of nature conservation of European, national or local designation;
  4. Green Belt policies where applicable;
  5. the effects on the hydrology and hydro-geology, including the impact of de-watering resulting from the mineral working;
  6. the avoidance of the sterilisation of the mineral;
  7. the avoidance of piecemeal working of mineral deposits;
  8. the efficient and economic working of other mineral deposits in an environmentally acceptable manner;
  9. the cumulative impact arising in the locality from the extent of past mining activities, other working sites and on-going restoration;
  10. the effects on regeneration objectives including the image of the locality by potential investors and the consequent effects on investment; and
  11. the extent of environmental or other benefits attributable to the proposals.

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