To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to mineral planning guidance on opencast coal mining since 1997. (182596)

There have been a number of changes. The most significant is in paragraph 8 of Minerals Planning Guidance 3, which establishes a presumption against coal extraction unless a proposal can meet one of two tests. The tests are:

1. Is the proposal environmentally acceptable, or can it be made so by planning conditions or obligations?

2. If not, does it provide local or community benefits which clearly outweigh the likely impacts to justify the grant of planning permission?