Restoration

As part of the planning application for a surface mine a restoration plan has to be produced, detailing how the land will be landscaped once the site has been mined.  Surface mining provides the opportunity to make changes to land that might otherwise not have been possible.  Contaminated land can be cleared up, flooding can be alleviated and new landscape features can be created.

Our sites are restored with the principle of what is created is an improvement on what was there before.  In turn this enhances landscape value and encourages biodiversity and habitat creation.  Features that we add often include wetland areas, woodland and wildlife areas.  Some of our sites are developed into community parks to provide better public access and facilities such as fishing and boating lakes, new footpaths, bridleways, cycle ways and public art.  New trees and hedgerows are also planted.  To date we have planted approximately half a million trees on restored sites.

Once sites have been restored they enter an aftercare phase of at least five years to ensure the high quality of the restoration is maintained.