projects  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

Mainshill

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Group is involved in a wide range of projects and a number of examples of current and previous projects are set out below:


Proposed Lanehead Extension to House of Water Surface Mine, nr. New Cumnock, East Ayrshire

Scottish Coal is preparing a planning application for a limited extension of surface mining operations to the south of the existing House of Water surface mine, which is located approximately 7km to the west of New Cumnock.

The Lanehead extension area extends to some 50 hectares to the south of the main House of Water site and contains a known deposit of coal estimated at 1.3 million tonnes. The site will be worked and reinstated over a period of some 6½ years, based on a dayshift only operation.

The Company issued a formal Scoping Report to East Ayrshire Council under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 which sought the views of the Council, statutory consultees and non-statutory consultees on the environmental information and assessments which need to be collected and carried out to support the planning application. The Scoping Report gives preliminary details of the emerging proposal.

Report and accompanying plans ( pdf 3MB)

Mainshill Opencast Coal Site nr Douglas

Scottish Coal has submitted a planning application to South Lanarkshire Council for the surface mining of some 1.7 million tonnes of coal over a 5 year period at Mainshill lying close to the M74 near Douglas in South Lanarkshire. Submission of the planning application follows community consultation and Environmental Impact Assessment scoping exercises carried out in early 2008.

Copies of the Planning Statement, Environmental Statement and Non-Technical Summary can be viewed at the following locations during normal opening hours:

  • St Brides Centre, Braehead, Douglas
  • One-Stop Shop, Coalburn Road, Coalburn
  • Council Offices, South Vennel, Lanark

The Non-Technical Summary can be downloaded from here. Copies of the submitted documents can also be purchased from Scottish Coal by contacting Donna Stewart on 01259 733800 or by email at info@scottishcoal.co.uk.

Proposed Airfield Opencast Coal Site nr. Cousland, Midlothian

Scottish Coal is preparing a planning application for the extraction of coal by surface mining methods from land at Airfield Farm near Cousland, Midlothian.

The proposed application site lies approximately 0.5km south-east of the village of Cousland and 1.3km south-west of Ormiston. It is bordered by the A6093 Haddington Road to the south and lies close to the new A68 Dalkeith Bypass. The site extends to some 160 hectares and contains a known deposit of coal estimated at 2 million tonnes. The site will be worked and reinstated over a period of some 6½ years.

The Company issued a formal Scoping Report to Midlothian Council under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 which sought the views of the Council, statutory consultees and non-statutory consultees on the environmental information and assessments which need to be collected and carried out to support the planning application. The Scoping Report gives preliminary details of the emerging mining proposal; the Report and accompanying plans can be downloaded by clicking here.

A copy of Midlothian Council’s formal response to the Scoping Report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Proposed Dunstonhill Opencast Coal Site, Patna, East Ayrshire 

Scottish Coal is preparing a planning application for the extraction of coal by surface mining methods from land at Dunstonhill near Patna, East Ayrshire. We have issued a Scoping Report to East Ayrshire Council which seeks the views of the Council, statutory consultees and non-statutory consultees on the environmental information and assessments which need to be collected and carried out to support the planning application.

The proposed site lies to the north-east of Patna and to the south-west of Rankinston at the top of the Doon valley. It contains a known deposit of coal and is specifically identified in the East Ayrshire Opencast Coal Subject Plan as having the potential for the establishment of a new opencast working. The site also falls within an area identified as an Area of Search for Opencast Coal in the Ayrshire Joint Structure Plan.

The Scoping Report gives preliminary details of the mining proposal and copies of the report are available for public view at the following locations (during normal opening hours):

Dalmellington Library;

Patna Library;

Rankinston Library

Click here to view the Report and accompanying plans.

The River Nith diversion

- The largest river diversion project in Europe and a major engineering and wildlife success

In order to work part of our House of Water opencast site near New Cumnock in Ayrshire, we undertook to divert the River Nith over a length of about 3km, creating a natural river channel to maintain water flows, encourage fish stocks, enhance wildlife and local vegetation.

Project partners included East Ayrshire Council, Nith Salmon Fisheries Board, New Cumnock Angling Association, SNH, SEPA, and RSPB. This successful project was a major engineering scheme and took almost a year to complete.

More information ( pdf 804k)

River Diversion Wins Award

Barony A-Frame

The frame, which is all that remains of this former coal mine, is a local landmark and memorial to those who worked and died at the Barony Colliery.

It is important to the local community as a symbol of their past industrial life and the future regeneration of the area. The frame's significance is nationally recognised as a 'B' listed structure, the only one of its kind remaining in the UK and, as such, is important to Historic Scotland, East Ayrshire Council, the mining industry, Scottish Coal and most importantly the local Coalfield Community.

The depth of local feeling for the need to preserve the 'A' Frame, was established through community consultation undertaken in 2002/3. As a result of this the Barony 'A' Frame Trust was set up with the primary objective of retaining and restoring the structure for the benefit of the public by maintaining the mining heritage of the area and opening the 'A' Frame site, once restored, to the general public as a heritage and educational site of monumental value.

Click here for more information on the Barony A-frame

Bio-Scape Sustainable Development

We are developing options for improving the quality of the land and environment around Shotts, North Lanarkshire.

The Bio-Scape concept has been developed to promote environmental improvements, enhanced bio-diversity, sustainable energy sources and recycling technologies as a means of transforming land at a former opencast site at Damside to a new use.

It has been incorporated into the Watershed project as part of a Living Landmarks Lottery Bid submission (December 2005).

Blindwells Urban Development

We are developing a Master Plan to create a flagship new residential settlement at the former Blindwells opencast site.

The site has been identified in the emerging Structure Plan for Edinburgh and the Lothians as the preferred location for new development, and will be the heart of a new urban gateway to East Lothian.

Click here for more info on Blindwells

East Ayrshire Coalfield Initiative

The focus of the CEI is the East Ayrshire coalfield, principally the areas around Cumnock, New Cumnock, Muirkirk and Dalmellington. These communities have been affected by the decline of the deep mining industry, resulting in environmental dereliction, unemployment, and depopulation.

The CEI is a partnership, between the local authority, conservation bodies and industry, working together to enhance, conserve, and promote the environment in East Ayrshire.

The CEI has been established to enhance biodiversity and improve the quality of the natural environment for the mining communities of the East Ayrshire coalfield.

More Information ( 1.4MB)