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:

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: