Originally given the green light in December 2022 from the previous Conservative government, plans for a new deep coal mine in Cumbria have today (13/9/24) been quashed by the High Court. Judge Justice Holgate said that “the assumption that the proposed mine would not produce a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions, or would be a ‘net zero mine’ are legally flawed”.
Environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth (FoE) and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC) celebrated the “huge victory”, citing “cutting edge evidence” as fundamental to their win. Their legal challenge against the coal mine centred on the assertion that “greenhouse gas emissions from burning the coal should have been factored in before the project was green-lit”.
The news comes as the UK toasts its greenest summer ever, where over 80% of our electricity came from renewables and August boasted 288 consecutive coal free hours. Niall Toru, senior lawyer for FoE, said: “The case against it is overwhelming; it would have huge climate impacts, its coal isn’t needed and it harms the UK’s international reputation on climate”.
This isn’t the final hurdle for the campaigners, however. Unless the developers of the coal mine fully withdraw the planning application, the plans must be revisited; this may result in the planning inquiry being reopened, which is something that the campaigners hope to avoid.
To view the High Court decision, please visit here. Click here to read the full article from the BBC.
