Cumbria coal mine: Decision delayed until November

The former Marchon chemical works on the outskirts of Whitehaven is the site of the proposed mine

A decision on whether to go ahead with a new coal mine in Cumbria has been delayed for a second time.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said it would now be made "on or before 8 November".

The Planning Inspectorate's report has been with the government since April and a decision was due in August.

If allowed it would be the first deep coal mine to open in the UK for more than 30 years.

The department said officials were "not yet in a position to complete their consideration before providing advice to ministers".

It added: "This is a quasi-judicial decision so it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

The proposed mine at Whitehaven would remove coking coal from beneath the Irish Sea for the production of steel in the UK and Europe.

The coal would not be used for power generation.

'Outrageous and unacceptable'

A public inquiry was held by the Planning Inspectorate into whether West Cumbria Mining could mine coking coal at the former Marchon chemical works site.

Supporters claim it will create jobs and reduce the need to import coal for steelmaking.

The Conservative mayor of Copeland Mike Starkie, who has previously said local support for the mine is strong, called the latest delay "outrageous and totally unacceptable".

"To now move the goalposts to November is appalling and there is no justification whatsoever."

He said it was a "dreadful way" to treat private investors and called on Tory leadership contenders Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak "to use their influence to bring this to a conclusion".

Opponents of the mine have previously protested outside the Home Office in London as well as at the site in Whitehaven

Victoria Marsom, from Friends of the Earth, who have campaigned against the mine said areas like Cumbria should be "at the heart of building the greener future we need".

"The UK and European market for coking coal is set to rapidly diminish as manufacturers switch to greener steel, while coal from this mine won't replace Russian imports," she added.

"However, this new mine will increase carbon emissions, with the government's climate watchdog describing it as 'absolutely indefensible'."

The original deadline for the decision was 7 July, and it is believed the Prime Minister Boris Johnson was scheduled to be in Cumbria on that day.

However, in a twist of fate, it was the same day Mr Johnson announced he was to stand down as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister.

A second deadline for a decision was set for 17 August but that too has now been pushed back - potentially until after a new prime minister is announced on 5 September.

The mine was approved to operate until 2049 by Cumbria County Council in October 2020, but just four months later the authority suspended its decision.

West Cumbria Mining previously said exploratory works led it to estimate there were about 750m tonnes of "excellent quality" coking coal in the area.

However, planning conditions would limit the company to producing no more than 2.78m tonnes a year.