Latest from the Camp

Latest from the Camp

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Support for Black Wood Solidarity Camp needed as Ancient Woodland is felled around the camp

Site of New UK Coal Open Cast Mine Occupied in Fife

The Project

UK Coal plan to extract 720,000 tonnes of coal and 75,000 tonnes of fire clay from Blair Farm over a period of 4 years and 4 months. Planning permission has been granted and preparation has begun on the 92 hectares of land.

This new coal mine is only one of 20 such others to have recently been given planning permission in Scotland. If we are to have any chance of limiting dangerous climate change and protecting communities from carbon-intensive industries we must take matters into our own hands.

The Community

Nearly 150 people objected to the planning application for this site (there were no letters of support), and their views were disregarded by Fife Council. The Council, in their defence, wouldn’t dare refuse another open cast coal mine application after their refusal of ATH Resources mine at Muir Dean, resisted by Crossgates residents, was overturned by the government and earned them a slap on the wrist, as well as costing them financially.

Most ridiculous, however, was the neighbor notification for the mine, which only included residents living within 90 metres of the site boundary, which only really involved notifying a few Oakley residents living opposite the site entrance. This was a blatant attempt to slip the mine past the majority of people living near it.

Impacts on nearby communities will include noise, dust, HGV movements, impact on the landscape, ecology, and loss of recreation access. The Solidarity Camp stands in support of nearby residents opposing this mine and the inevitable other mines that will be applied for by profit-hungry UK Coal.

The Issues

UK Coal plans to extract 720,000 tonnes coal and 75,000 tonnes of fire clay over 4 years and 4 months. The site is 92 hectares, and mine workings will go to a maximum 70m working depth.

Pollution – Noise from blasting and operating plant machinery such as dump trucks and excavators with affect near-by residents and wildlife, and diesel fumes from machinery and coal-transporting trucks will affect the health of local communities.

Community health – Recent studies have shown that exposure to dust from open cast coal mines can cause striking ill health in near-by communities, with increased prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, certain cancers and asthma. Mining companies and local councils, however, refuse to acknowledge this or even take appropriate measures to record dust levels, showing that they have no regard for the health of communities, where the profit of a coal-mining company is concerned.

Giving back to the community? – UK Coal are offering £180,000 to the communities of Saline, Oakley, Comrie, Kinneddar Park, Blairhall and Cowstrandburn as compensation for at least 4 years and 4 months of being neighbors. This equates to 12p a week for every member of the community given that the estimated combined population of the villages is 6,500.

Traffic – An extra 80-100 30 tonne lorries will b be using the A907 and roads through these communities, putting the safety of children and residents at risk.

Jobs and the local economy – Of the promised 37 “part time jobs” how many people will be employed locally? By UK Coal’s own admission they expect most people to arrive by car and only a very few will be within walking/cycling distance to the mine. In addition, any jobs will be short-term as coal extraction will only last for 2 years and 9 months. Genuine investment and job-creation in these communities would definitely not be in the form of open cast coal mines.

Loss of local environment and wildlife - Great Crested Newts, a European Protected Specie are present on the site, and mitigation in the form of relocation proposed by UK Coal will undoubtedly result in the destruction of the newt populations as their habitat shrinks. The area to be mined includes the Black Wood Wildlife site, designated as an area that once had ancient woodland and is now home to birch forests and oak trees. There are orchids present on the site and the site is also important for the diversity of breeding birds and wintering birds, with common snipe occurring in significant numbers during the winter. Bats are known to feed in the area and red squirrels are present found in the north-east of the site, as well as Brown hares, listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. The Cowstrandburn river will be diverted and undoubtedly polluted, along with other watercourses in the area.

Climate Change – Some 2.11 million tonnes of CO2 will be released into the atmosphere from the combustion of the coal, with more still being released from the mining process. NONE of this will be captured and stored. New coal mines such as this one undermine the governments plans to reduce Scotland’s CO2 emissions and highlight the hypocrisy of government ministers and local councils when it comes to reducing emissions.

The Camp

The camp was an autonomous space, liberated from the greedy clutches of UK Coal. It ended on 31st March/1st April

How to Get There

Blair Farm is in Fife, about 20 miles North West of Edinburgh and a few miles East of Dunfermline.

By Train
The nearest train station is Dunfermline Town.
Trains go from Edinburgh to Dunfermline twice hourly until 20:51 then at 21:49 and 23:16, the last train back to Edinburgh is 23:44 and the journey takes 31 minutes.

By Bus
The number 74 bus goes from Dunfermline bus station on Chapel Street to Oakley every 10 minutes. The last one from Dunfermline is at 23:37, and the last return journey is at 23:39.

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Contact Us

Call the site phone on: 07806926040

Email us on: coalactionscotland [at] riseup.net