I am deeply disappointed that Cumbria County Council’s development control and regulation committee approved plans for a new coal mine in West Cumbria last week.

I am firmly of the view that the mine, if it eventually goes ahead, will have a negative impact on climate change and the environment.

Allowing such a major coal mining project will undermine people’s view of Cumbria as a county that is doing its utmost to tackle carbon emissions and address the serious issues caused by climate change.

The committee approved West Cumbria Mining’s (WCM) revised application for a new coal mine at the former Marchon site and Pow Beck Valley in Whitehaven.

But that is not the end of the matter. A holding direction has been issued and Robert Jenrick, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, is considering whether or not to call in the decision and make the final call himself.

There might be some people who think the impact of the mine might be broadly climate neutral. I do not accept that view.

The officers’ own figures show at least 250,000 tons of CO2 initially being emitted annually from just the operation of the mine. That would cause environmental damage estimated at £40m per annum. (And these figures ignore the pollution from the coal itself and any onward transportation for export).

Our climate is changing and this is mainly due to human activity.

As global warming continues, perhaps as many as two billion people will be without access to freshwater, food supplies could be threatened, sea levels will rise, which will threaten coastal communities, weather systems will become more violent, diseases will spread and much of the coral reef will likely die.

World leaders, national and local government bodies and, indeed, every single individual, need to take action to address this global problem.

Cumbria County Council’s decision to approve a new coal mine in West Cumbria is a retrograde step. If the mine goes ahead, the county’s reputation will be tarnished and our credibility as climate change leaders will be damaged.

It is absolutely crucial that the Secretary of State calls in the decision and rejects the application.

Cllr Giles Archibald

Leader of South Lakeland District Council