Bolton Council is to tell the Government that new guidelines have strengthened its case against a huge opencast mining plan.

Local MPs and campaigners are calling for the re-opening of the inquiry into mining at Cutacre Tip after new tough Government guidelines against opencast were published.

The MPs now say the tougher guidelines should force the Government Planning Inspector, who is still to make up his mind, to look at the whole proposal again.

And a report will go to Bolton's planning control sub committee meeting today which says that the new guidelines back Bolton Council's decision to oppose RJB Mining's plans to extract nearly two million tonnes of coal from the Cutacre site which is in on the Bolton/Little Hulton border.

Neighbouring Wigan Council which has a small part of the plan in its area has supported the scheme and Salford Council did not make a decision.

Bolton Council will argue that the new mineral planning guidelines change the presumption away from decisions being made in favour of opencast mining.

Instead opencasting should only be possible where the development is environmentally acceptable or provides over-riding community benefits.

A public inquiry was held in August and protesters are anxiously awaiting the Minister's decision.

The inspector's decision will test a Labour Minister's "cast iron guarantee" just before the last general election that opencast mining would not go ahead on the site.

The pledge came from Frank Dobson who was then shadow environment spokesman and in Health Secretary.

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