Politicians have their say on controversial Whitehaven coalmine

The Woodhouse Colliery was given the green light by Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove on Wednesday.

The announcement specified that the coal will not be used for power generation; rather it will be metallurgical coal for steel production.

It has been a highly-controversial decision which was pushed back several times, and leading figures in north Cumbria and further afield have been hugely divided in their reaction.

'We now need to see the economic benefits delivered'

Cllr Mark Fryer, Leader of the Shadow Authority for Cumberland Council, said: “Finally a decision has been made on the coal mine in Whitehaven. This application has gone through a rigorous planning process where all parties have been given the opportunity to have their say.

"The development will obviously be something that the new Cumberland Council will inherit after April 1 2023, so we will need to better understand the timeframes going forward and work out what role there is for the new authority.

"Our communities have been promised economic benefits from this mine and it is now the job of the company to ensure these 500 jobs - the majority for local people - and the associated infrastructure is delivered.

"We will of course also be mindful of any environmental impacts and concerns and will work with the mine operators on what can be done to help manage and mitigate against them.

"There also remains real and active opportunities in Cumberland for green jobs and future energy investments whether that be with wind power, hydrogen or new nuclear.

"I demand the government now starts to deliver on the promises they have made to our community for many years.”

'What we really need are green jobs that benefit everyone'

Jill Perry, Green Party councillor on the shadow authority of Cumberland Council and long-term campaigner against the coal mine, said: “This is really bad news for local people, because what we really need are green jobs that benefit everyone in the community, not dirty jobs in an old industry where the profits are sucked out and hidden in tax havens.

“If we invest in retrofit of insulation and renewable technologies in our leaky housing stock, a lot of which isn't even on the gas network, it will provide more jobs, cheaper heating bills and keep the money circulating in the local area.

“The steel industry doesn't need this coking coal plant and neither do we.”

'Steel underpins every single renewable technology'

Workington MP Mark Jenkinson was pleased with the decision. He said: "When the decision was called in I welcomed the planning inquiry, as it gave us the opportunity to have an adult conversation about our ongoing need for coking coal well into the future - and laid bare the reality that there is no way of making new steel without it.

"Steel underpins every single renewable technology that we need to employ to hit our Net Zero target. There is no sense in importing all of our coking coal, which would be an abdication of our climate commitments."

READ MORE: Government approves highly-controversial coal mine in Cumbria