Brenkley Lane Surface Mine

Site Status: Site operational

Local Authority: Newcastle City Council/Northumberland County Council

Banks Mining has identified a site located at Brenkley (near Seaton Burn) that contains a large reserve of good quality coal which we are proposing to mine over the next few years. The site is located on the opposite side of Ponteland Road to our current workings at Delhi, where coal extraction has finished. Our plan is therefore to work Brenkley as a follow-on to the successful Delhi site, this will have have several advantages:

• By using the existing Delhi site compound and overburden mounds we can minimise any visual impact, and by building an underpass beneath Ponteland Road, ensure that site trafficdoes not have to cross the road.

• We can maximise the amount of coal recovered by using the Delhi compound rather than creating a new one at the Brenkley site.

• A previous planning appeal decision rejected working part of the site, indicating that any working should recover all the coal from the site. This can be achieved using the Delhi compound.

In addition there are also the following benefits:

• Opportunity to improve the land for agricultural or other use, and create improved environmental features when the site is restored.

• Contribute to essential local and national supplies of coal.

• Community groups and other organisations in the vicinity of the site would be eligible to apply for financial assistance from the Banks’ Community Fund.

Key Facts:

Site Area: 130 hectares

Minerals to be recovered: 2.4m tonnes of coal and 200,000 tonnes of fireclay

Duration: Up to 10 years mineral extraction, worked in two phases with the first part of the site being restored after approximately 4 years.

Traffic Generation: 66 average movements per day (33 in and 33 out, we currently have permission for 136 average daily movements at the Delhi site.)

Number of Jobs: Over 40

Work will begin on the site in 2010.

For further information please contact Carl Drury or Bob Swainson on 01740 658 500.

Please click here to view the Brenkley Lane non-technical summary.