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Second village in row over coal
Page 17
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m by Chris Tindall
Residents in a South Yorkshire town are fighting to prevent hundreds of coal trucks using their roads under plans to build a power station nearby Locals say that Kirton Lane in Thorne, near Doncaster, is not suitable for the estimated 400 trucks day that would haul coal from Hatfield Colliery to the proposed power station. They are calling for a link road to be built if the power station gets the go-ahead.
"We have no concerns about the power station," says a spokeswoman for Kirton Residents Association. Our concern is the traffic and pollution impact on people's lives."
She adds that the road is not in a high accident area, but there have been fatalities due to the speed at which vehicles travel. The association is lobbying Doncaster council for a link road to the M18.
Thorne councillor Martin Williams is backing their case. "1 am in favour of jobs, but not in favour of jobs that affect people's lives and the environment," he says. "A link road would solve everyone's problems," The colliery says it is doing its level best to keep everyone happy. "Our intention is to minimise the Impact on everybody," says consultant planner Simon Heaton. "Our estimates of traffic levels are a worstcase scenario. It would not happen 365 days a year— there could be between six months to a year where nothing goes out."
Heaton adds that the company also supports the building of a link road. "Our door is open and we will try and work with people," he stresses.
This is the second case in as many weeks of villagers protesting about coal wagons travelling through their area. Residents of Ashington, Northumberland, are campaigning against a new open-cast coal mine which would lead to more trucks travelling through their village ( CM12-18 September).