Final consultation on permit for Hemerdon tungsten mine
Views sought on permit application for mineral processing facility.
Respondents to the consultation will see the conditions the operator would be expected to meet under its Environment Agency permit
The Environment Agency has today opened a third and final round of consultation on a permit application by Drakelands Restoration Limited for restarting mineral processing at the Hemerdon tungsten mine, near Plymouth.
The proposal has already seen 2 consultations carried out. All of the comments made by organisations and members of the public were considered during those previous consultations, alongside all of the evidence given by the operator. To date, no evidence has been presented to indicate that this proposal will result in significant human or environmental harm.
In line with the Regulator’s Code, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulators-code-and-the-environment-agency), the Environment Agency now thinks it is in a position to grant the permit. However, no final decision will be made until after this final round of consultation, taking into account any new information that may be received.
So far, the permit application has been technically assessed by experienced specialist officers in the National Permitting Service, as well as noise and other experts in national and local Environment Agency teams. In doing so, a wide number of other organisations have been consulted.
Various issues of concern have been addressed, including measures to manage infrasound - low frequency noise - something that had been an issue at the Hemerdon site when operated by the previous operator, Wolf Mineral Ltd.
The new operator’s plans to prevent, control and monitor issues such as audible noise, dust and other particulate emissions have also been checked, so that operations on site will not have any significant impact on people and the environment nearby.
In this latest consultation, 2 key documents are presented - a draft decision document and a draft permit. The draft decision document explains the thought process so far and how the Environment Agency has taken on board the information and comments received.
The draft permit outlines the conditions the operator would be expected to meet. These 2 important documents make it clear what the Environment Agency has already considered and will help you identify if there are any other important issues you would like to be considered.
The permitting process does not take into account factors such as off-site vehicle movements, operating hours, visual impact and whether this is an appropriate location for this activity. These are matters for the local planning authority.
If you would like to provide any new information or make and new comments, please make them known by 11.59pm on 7 May. You can send your comments:
Visiting the Citizen Space web page: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/psc/pl7-5bw-drakelands-restoration-limited2/
- E-mailing pscpublicresponse@environment-agency.gov.uk
- Posting your response to: Environment Agency Permitting and Support Centre, Land Team, Quadrant 2, 99 Parkway Avenue, Sheffield S9 4WF.
Please include the permit number: EPR/AP3203ML/A001 in your response.