We submitted a planning application for the Highthorn surface mine in October 2015.

In July 2016, Northumberland County Council Strategic Planning Committee were minded to approve the planning application pending a decision by the Secretary of State (SoS) for Communities and Local Government to decide whether to ‘call-in’ the application. The SoS ‘called-in’ the decision. The resultant Public Inquiry started on Wednesday 31 May 2017. The Planning Inspector will then send his report to the SoS in the Autumn of 2017.

If the Secretary of State decides to approve the application, Banks Mining would look to begin the site some time in 2018. The key site facts can be found below:

• Amount of coal: Up to 3 million tonnes
• Working area: Up to 250 hectares
• New jobs: At least 50
• Maintaining current jobs: At least 50
• Community Fund: £450,000
• No mining activity within 500m of beach

You can find out more details about the project by visiting the links below:

Public Consultation

Scoping Report

Community Workshop

Planning Application