UK COAL are still pressing ahead with their plans to butcher an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Whilst we as residents are expected to put up with more and more development squeezing us into every decreasing spaces and seeing our natural environment and wildlife disappear, there comes a time to say enough is enough, the time is NOW to say just that.

Below is a piece from Crystalgal.



People of the Region! Be aware – proposed opencast mining by UK Coal Mining Ltd in the Limekiln Woods, Black Hayes, Short Woods, Ercall, Huntingdon and New Works area of Telford is now in submitted application stage. If planning permission for this is granted by Telford &Wrekin Council Planning Board, this area of natural beauty which is an amenity and leisure area for us all will be devastated and cease to exist.

Much of the woodland in this proposed area is ancient – 400 year or older. A pathway that leads from Limekiln Lane on the Wellington side through the woodland and to the ridgeway above Willowmoor, Little Wenlock will be destroyed. At Willowmoor lie ancient Bronze Age burial mounds and other barrow mounds are recorded around this area. It is not impossible that other ancient remains lie in this proposed opencast mining site.

These woods are well known for their natural beauty, the annual bluebell display being something we should all see and show to our children so they too can pass on this joy of nature. Deer reside within these woodlands as well as badgers, foxes, squirrels and some bats in an old drift mine inside the wood.

Without your help all this will soon become just one more big hole in the ground and lost forever. Natural regeneration to today's quality of woodland could take thousands of years and we, the people of the region, will have seen one of the greatest attractions to this area lost forever.


With our government's stated policy of green energy, what sort of a carbon footprint will this proposal leave if permission is granted? Please use your democratic right and oppose this application for opencast coal mining.
A Planning Board decision on this issue could be taken as early as March 3rd 2008 which is around 5 to 6 weeks away.

We are very short of time to oppose this and we assure you every single letter of objection will count towards a victory for common sense. The common man's amenities that still do not cost us money to enjoy with our families and friends are a rare thing in this day and age. We are sure you will agree.


The Friends of the Ercall thank you.



If we all band together I'm sure that we can have an impact. The energies that even a small group of us has is incredible, so if there's more of us than that, then that can only help more!!

I am sure you will agree with these sentiments.

The Friends around The Wrekin have been instrumental in keeping issues that affect The Wrekin well and truly in the public eye. They have quite a following and a number of active members.
Keep an eye on their web site, if anything is going to affect theWrekin, they are usually the first to know.

http://www.wrekinfriends.com/