Secretary of State refused to delete the Gunthorpe allocation from the Minerals Plan

Earlier this year we reported on Nottinghamshire County Council’s request to the Secretary of State that it be permitted to “save” (i.e. carry over) the Gunthorpe allocation after the official ending of the current Minerals Plan in December.
We led the objections to this request on the grounds of its proven unsuitability as a site for mineral extraction since Tarmac failed to solve the problems associated with mining on this site in spite of having its planning application on the table for over four years.
There were objections from local parish councils and our Members of Parliament – Vernon Coaker and Paddy Tipping – amongst others.
Our MP – Vernon Coaker – asked for a meeting with the Government Office for the East Midlands (which acts for the Secretary of State in these matters) to discuss the matter but his request was refused.
GOEM / The Secretary of State ignored the overwhelming evidence against “saving” the site and has just announced that the site will be carried over until a new Minerals Plan is in place at some time in the distant future.
So the site will continue to blight all the communities around the site, as it has for the past six years.