MPG3 Coal Mining and Colliery Spoil Disposal (revised March 1999)

This MPG provides advice to mineral planning authorities (MPAs) and the coal industry in England on how to ensure that the development of coal resources and the disposal of colliery spoil takes place in accordance with the best balance of community, social, environmental and economic interests and the principles of sustainable development.

It explains that it is not for the planning system to seek to set limits or targets for any particular source or level or energy supply, nor to predetermine the appropriate levels of coal to be produced by underground or opencast mining. It is for the MPA to determine the acceptability of individual projects, observing the policies and procedures outlined.

Sections of the text cover relevant national land-use policy considerations, especially for nationally designated areas, and how policies and plans, including development plans and minerals local plans, should be formulated.

View 'Minerals Planning Guidance 3: Coal mining and colliery spoil disposal' here.