Latest Dewley Hill surface mine plans could create up to 50 jobs for North East

Plans for a new surface mine on the border between Newcastle and Northumberland, which would support up to 50 jobs, are set to move forward.

A planning application for the Dewley Hill surface mine, which would be located on agricultural land to the north of the A69’s Throckley junction and to the east of the B6326 Ponteland Road, is expected to be submitted to Newcastle City Council in the coming weeks.

The project is being progressed as a partnership between Banks Mining, part of County Durham-headquartered employer the Banks Group, and Ibstock Brick, the owners of the Throckley Brickworks which is around half a mile from the Dewley Hill site.

The scheme would run for a limited period of over three years from the start of operations to the completion of restoration.

Jeannie Kielty, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “The UK continues to require coal to meet a range of essential industrial, commercial and household needs…

“It is undoubtedly in the national interest to continue to invest in skilled mining jobs in North East England instead of increasing our already substantial reliance on coal imports from overseas locations such as the US, Colombia and most especially Russia.

“Imports of coal from Russia increased by over 730,000 tonnes between the first quarters of 2017 and 2018 to make up for the shortfall in UK production, which is almost as much as would be produced at Dewley Hill in total.

“Yet the per-tonne carbon dioxide emissions generated by the transportation of these imports alone are many times higher than the equivalent figure for transporting coal mined at home.”

Around 800,000 tonnes of high quality coal would be extracted from the site, most of which would be used for industrial purposes such as the production of steel and cement, as well as 400,000 tonnes of fireclay, which will be used in the manufacturing of bricks at the local brickworks.

The event will also provide further details of how the surface mine would deliver a range of social, economic and environmental benefits, including a £50k community fund; a £50k skills fund to help local unemployed people overcome barriers to work; and the planting of over 26,000 trees and hedgerows in a newly-created woodland area.

Jeannie Kielty continued: “The Dewley Hill site has the potential to support up to 50 highly skilled, well-paid jobs, as well as to open up substantial new opportunities for local suppliers and extend our long-term record of investing in the communities in which we operate.”

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