Victory - West Cumbria Coal Mine Rejected!
Campaigners celebrate as the decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria is quashed.
Today, 13th September, South Lakes Action on Climate Change and Friends of the Earth won their case, against the Conservative Government's 2022 decision, to allow a new coal mine. Following a hearing in the High Court in July 2024.
Delighted campaigners gathered outside the former County Hall in Kendal and in Whitehaven Market Place to hear the news together this morning.
The Judge, Mr Justice Holgate ruled, "The assumption that the proposed mine would not produce a net increase in GHG emissions, or would be a net zero mine, is legally flawed"
The case was won on 4 out of 5 grounds and the Judge rubbished the mining company's claims the mine would have been net zero.
Maggie Mason, South Lakes Action on Climate Change said, "As ordinary responsible people, we saw this horrendous example of fossil fuel company arrogance, the weakness of our local government, we knew enough science to know the terrible impacts this would have on our beautiful planet and people, the poorest and most vulnerable first."
"We could not stand by and do nothing to prevent it. We needed to tell the truth, work hard and pitch in some money to get a legal team that understood the issues."
The following were ruled against the mining company.
Issue (i) – breach of the 2011 Regulations, (ii) – the substitution issue (iii) - Impact of granting planning permission on UK’s leadership role in promoting international action on climate change (iv) Arrangements for offsetting GHG emissions from the operation of the mine
Issue (v) – Unlawful disparity in the treatment of the parties’ cases - was not agreed.
This victory means that 60 million tonnes of coal and associated methane will likely be left underground. West Cumbria Mining Ltd, could appeal the decision. Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, needs to decide how to proceed now the decision has been returned to the Government.
Absolutely fantastic! I live in Suffolk but this success is vital to the planet and to us all
Good news on the judgement, and hope that’s the end of the mine application. Very clear explanation of the false claims by WCM too.
This is at last a victory for plain common sense. It puts the UK back on an unambiguous course toward Zero Carbon for the world community. And….it gives impetus – rather than mere buck-passing – toward low and eventually zero carbon steel production. In short: it is about a future worth living for us all. Well done.
13th of October??? The future is indeed upon us . . .
Congratulations from Australia (and from a sometimes visitor to Cumbria especially to Sedbergh). We have an uphill battle against the extremely well funded fossil fuel industry here and welcome any positive news. As the United Nations has declared, nowhere in the world should be opening new fossil fuel developments particularly coal.
Thank you so much for achieving this. I live in another part of the UK, but this impacts all of us.
Great news – now we just need to stop the coal boss’s more dangerous project – a deep nuclear dump off Whitehaven. Here is a bit of history of the first legal challenge against the coal plan by a nuclear safety campaigner – https://keepcumbriancoalinthehole.wordpress.com/2024/09/13/great-news-the-coal-mine-has-been-quashed-by-the-high-court/
Some days there’s good news! This ruling for once puts common sense ahead of platitudes from the deliberately blind fossil fuel industry.