Cutacre Surface Mine and Reclamation Scheme
Background
Planning permission was approved at the Cutacre site following an application (96/35341/FUL) and two subsequent Public Inquiries in July 2001. The site commenced operation for the purposes of Mineral Planning in July 2006. The working period of the site is four years with a further five years aftercare (for completion of soil treatments, seeding, hedge and tree planting, fencing, construction of rights of way and under drainage).
The site will recover coal from eight excavation areas and the colliery spoil tip (Cutacre tip). The site will be restored to open pasture, landscaped woodland amenity (Eccorsley Wood and Cutacre Wood) and an industrial estate platform, during the working of the site. This will remove the current colliery spoil dumps and provide additional and improved amenity areas and rights of way.
Although the majority of the site falls within the boundaries of Bolton MBC, the site also falls within the boundaries of Salford City Council and Wigan MBC.
Planning conditions
As part of the grant of planning permission, over 60 conditions were imposed by the Secretary of State relating to various issues including:
Hours of working (restricted to)
- Earthworks and Coaling - Monday to Friday 7am to 7pm, Saturday 7am to 1pm
- Washplant - Monday to Friday 7am to 11pm, Saturday 7am to 1pm
- Work within 200 meters of properties - Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 8am to 1pm
No work will take place on Bank holidays. Work outside of these hours will be limited to servicing, maintenance, testing and pumping.
Any emergency works at the site are to be reported to the authority within one working day.
Dust monitoring
- PM10 dust (Particulate Matter <10Microns - i.e. very fine dust) - two monitors are situated to the south west and north east of the site
- Nuisance dust - six monitors situated around the site
- Site control monitors are located within the site as required by areas being worked
Noise monitoring
Noise monitoring will take place at four locations - NW, SW, SE and NE of the site.
Blasting vibration monitoring
This is being undertaken at vibration sensitive properties and services. The site is intersected by the Thirlmere Aqueduct and two HP gas mains which have to be monitored. The guideline limit is 6mm/sec, however it should be noted that a human being can feel vibration levels at 1.5mm/sec and above.
UK Coal only anticipate needing to blast in Area's B, C (part), G (part), and H (part) (see site plan)and in all these areas it is only a band of sandstone that will require cracking to enable the excavators to lift and load the rock into dumptrucks. This is not ‘Quarry Blasting' that you would see in a hardstone quarry. From the borehole information available it is not anticipated that significant blasting vibration will continue beyond the site boundary to residential properties.
Key information
There is a large amount of information associated with the Cutacre surface mine and reclamation scheme but some of the key documents are:
- Decision Notice (Adobe PDF format, 705kb)
- Site Plan (Adobe PDF format, 9.3mb)
- Landscaping and Restoration Plan (Adobe PDF format, 5.9mb)
- Drainage Plan (Adobe PDF format, 4.4mb)
- Unilateral Undertaking (legal agreement) (Adobe PDF format, 450kb)
Liaison meetings
Representatives from Salford City Council, Bolton MBC, Wigan MBC, and UK Coal, together with local Councillors and residents meet approximately every two months to discuss progress and to raise any issues that may have arisen. Minutes from the meeting can be found below:
- Thursday 7 September (Adobe PDF format, 100kb)
- Thursday 8 June 2006 (Adobe PDF format, 1.7mb)
- Thursday 6 April 2006 (Adobe PDF format, 1.6mb)
- Thursday 9 February 2006 (Adobe PDF format, 1mb)
- Thursday 24 November 2005 (Adobe PDF format, 1.8mb)
- Tuesday 15 September 2005 (Adobe PDF format, 2.1mb)
Revised restoration and landscaping plan
- Approved A1 restoration plan reference 58-D03A (Adobe PDF format, 5.8mb)
- Proposed A1 restoration plan reference 935-76 Revision G (Adobe PDF format, 4.6mb)
- Approved A3 public rights of way plan reference 935-149 (Adobe PDF format, 720kb)
- Proposed A3 public rights of way plan reference 935-144 (Adobe PDF format, 666kb)
- Proposed A3 water body section plan reference 935-138A (Adobe PDF format, 1.7mb)
- Addendum to environmental statement revision B - dated December 2009 (Adobe PDF format, 136kb)
- Comparison of habitats under existing approved restoration plan and proposed revised restoration plan (Adobe PDF format, 19kb)
- Figures one to three-summary of changes (Adobe PDF format, 1.2mb)
Who to contact
Steve Birnie
Regulatory Services
Urban Vision
Emerson House
Albert Street
Eccles
Salford
M30 OTE
Telephone: 0161 779 4841
Mr D Harrison
Quarry Manager
UK Coal Mining Ltd
Cutacre Site
Back Lane (off Salford Road)
Over Hulton
Bolton
BL5 1BT
This page was last updated on 16 December 2009
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