Draft Nottinghamshire Minerals Local Plan

The Plan states at para 4.109 (p94): "It is considered that there is no justifiable reason in planning policy terms to separate shale gas from other hydrocarbon development."

The key question is Q21 which asks: "What do you think of the draft policy...?" - or, in the case of unconventional hydrocarbons, the lack of policy.

We think the following:

Teversal, Stanton Hill and Skegby Neighbourhood Plan was supported by more than three quarters of those who voted in the required referendum, an illustration of the community's commitment to its policies and principles.

The regulations governing the preparation of the Plan required the Forum to undertake a series of consultations with residents, businesses and interested bodies. The results of those consultations informed Plan policies and, in particular, revealed that 92% of residents gave the surrounding countryside and access to it as being the reason they liked living in the area.

The Community Vision endorsed by the community states "In 20 years' time the TSS Plan area will be a prosperous and thriving community. It will value its rural heritage and high-quality natural environment. It will provide people with employment, education and relaxation. It will be a regenerated place where everyone can fulfil their potential."

Amongst the objectives flowing from this vision, Community Objective 7 is "To protect and maintain the trails, open spaces and access to the open countryside that make the TSS area so special."

The Community Objectives are the basis upon which the Neighbourhood Plan policies have been prepared.

The benefits of green spaces in terms of health and well-being and opportunities for social interaction are well documented. The TSS area has a wide variety of open spaces and green corridors, including disused spoil heaps that are now thriving natural environments. As an example, Ashfield District Council's Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity Paper make the following comments on reclaimed colliery sites:

"Coal heaps, former quarries, railway land, post-industrial sites and related open areas, provide some of the most valuable habitat for flora and fauna in the District. Often such sites are characterised by a rich diversity of native and introduced species. Large numbers of plant species have exploited these sites and formed communities ranging from short ephemeral grassland to scrub, which in turn supports a wide range of invertebrates, mammals and birds. Some of the sites in Ashfield support unusual communities and rare plants. Coal heaps may display Bee Orchid and Autumn Gentian, whilst providing a habitat for Grass snakes, Sky Larks and Little Ringed Plover."

The Paper particularly highlights the benefit of open spaces and countryside to areas of deprivation. Ready access to areas of unspoiled countryside is proven to be beneficial to both mental and physical health as places where residents can relax and take worthwhile exercise. They also offer opportunities for social interaction that can otherwise be difficult to achieve. Stanton Hill is one of the most deprived areas in the Country.

The Paper also highlights the benefit to tourism and thus the local economy offered by such spaces. There is huge potential to increase tourism, as an example the award winning Teversal the Caravanning and Camping Club site on Silverhill Lane is particularly popular. The development of lasting tourism opportunities would add to the local economy and play a part in much needed regeneration.

The TSS area contains a number of designated SSSIs, Mature Landscape Areas and Ancient Woodlands. Within sight of each other is Pleasley Pit, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, Hardwick Hall and Teversal Conservation Area with its wealth of listed buildings and the only functioning Grade 1 listed church in Ashfield (St. Katherine's). This virtuous triangle is highly valued by people from the locality and elsewhere for walking, cycling and horse riding, away from the hustle and bustle and their urban surroundings.

An essential element is the setting of each of these treasured assets. The importance of preserving the setting of both Hardwick Hall and Teversal Village is dealt with in Sections 14 (Protecting Landscape Character), 15 (Protecting and Enhancing Heritage Assets) and 16 (Improving Access to the Countryside). The Hardwick Setting Study 2016 identifies Stanley, Silverhill and the Sutton Plateau that are within the Neighbourhood Area as having an impact on the setting of Hardwick Hall. These areas have the same impact on the setting of the other heritage assets both within and bordering the Neighbourhood Area.

Paragraph 191 states: "...Teversal village has heritage significance and the Conservation Area boundary around the village was extended in 2012 to include part of the wider setting."

Paragraph 192 states: "The adopted Conservation Area Appraisal 2012 notes that 'In terms of its setting, the landscape surrounding the conservation area plays a significant role in the character of Teversal. The village is surrounded by an undulating, agricultural landscape which is practically unblemished due to the lack of man-made vertical structures. This helps to emphasize the old English rural character of Teversal.'"

The continued existence of unspoiled views and lack of industrial activity are essential to preserve these settings and Plan policies are weighted to reflect these concerns and were guided by this principle. Thus, a key theme running through the Neighbourhood Plan is to preserve the open countryside from intrusions that would have a detrimental effect both on the countryside itself and the health and well-being of those living and working in the Plan area.

The Neighbourhood Area contained three collieries until the 1980s and was defined by coal production. The sudden closure of those collieries has left a legacy of unemployment, lack of aspiration and a catalogue of social problems. Lacking effective intervention by central government, the Neighbourhood Forum has embarked on a long-term project to remedy these issues and create a thriving environment where everyone can reach their potential.

Forum members unanimously oppose any further hydrocarbon exploitation in the area which is now defined by its post-industralised character and offers new opportunities. The area is still dealing and coming to terms with the legacy of historical exploitation of its natural resources and welcomes the move away from carbon and the opportunity to re-define itself for the future. Any form of shale gas hydrocarbon exploitation in the area would be a retrograde step contrary to the expressed wishes of the local population.

The Forum's aim to improve the surroundings, well-being and life-chances of the some of the most desperate in the Country requires a long-term, focused and consistent strategy based upon preserving the area's assets and carrying out meaningful improvements where necessary. Shale gas exploration, in particular, would be at odds with the Forum's vision and perpetuate the issues that blight the area.

Minister, Greg Clark, in his introduction to the Localism legislation said:
"For too long the Government has hoarded and concentrated power...And it leaves people feeling "done to" and imposed upon - the very opposite of the sense of participation and involvement on which a healthy democracy thrives..... "We think that the best way of strengthening Society is not for central government to try and seize all the power and responsibility for itself."

Therefore, the people of Teversal, Stanton Hill and Skegby support the Nottinghamshire County Council in developing and implementing a Minerals Local Plan.

However, we believe that experience elsewhere and the growing scientific evidence shows that there are (for example) the following specific, special and very substantial threats from shale gas exploration and extraction in terms of:
* Community health risks from air and water pollution.
* Damage and destruction of valued amenities through industrial development and heavy transport on rural roads.
* A significant risk of triggering earthquakes, especially in an area of extensive old mineral workings.

We believe that these and other factors do provide justifiable reason in planning policy terms to separate shale gas from other hydrocarbon development.

We therefore call upon the County Council to give proper consideration to the risks of Shale Gas Development and to develop a clear and well thought out specific policy for this.

The people of our three villages wish to hold the Council to account for this responsibility and require that their wishes as expressed in the Neighbourhood Plan are respected.