WORRIED residents are stepping up their objections to plans for an opencast coal mining scheme on a greenfield site near Consett.

At a public meeting on Tuesday night, residents of Dipton and High Stables, two villages near Leadgate, met bosses of the firm of developers which wants to mine the area.

The 18-month operation would involve removing 130,000 tonnes of coal from the 66-acre Drovers site, alongside the A692 at Leadgate. The area would then be restored for agricultural use, woodland and recreation.

Much of the site lies within a larger area which was put forward for opencast working by British Coal in 1986 and rejected following an appeal.

The operator, North-East Land Developments, says its scheme will help the local economy by creating 37 jobs, most of them for young people, and put about £700,000 into the area in wages.

But, Derwentside District councillor Watts Stelling - who represents nearby Ebchester and Medomsley - said that the environmental impact of the scheme could be disastrous.

He said: "I think about 98 per cent of the local residents don't want this to happen. Many of us fear a precedent being set if they are given permission to start this scheme.

"I know this scheme is fairly small and should be over in 18 months, but if this one goes ahead it may become difficult for the planning authority, Durham County Council, to turn down similar applications in the future. There are the usual concerns about dust, noise and traffic, plus worries about safety for children in the area, who are bound to be curious about such a development."

Project manager Bob Carrick said the meeting was a chance to explain their plans to residents.

He added: "I know there are people with concerns about our proposals, which is why I decided to give them the facts.

"We have gone through an environmental impact assessment process which looks at noise, ecology, dust, landscape and the visual impact.

"We are waiting for the county council to complete their own consultations before we can move to the next planning stage."

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