Former Great British Pub Awards winner faces losing pub over coal mine plans

Helen Greer, of the PMA’s former Great British Pub of the Year the Feathers Inn, Hedley-on-the-Hill, said she faces closure should the proposals go through and has urged licensees to write to Northumberland County Council to oppose the move.

UK Coal submitted a planning application in November 2010 to extract 2.2 million tonnes of coal from the proposed site at nearby Whittonstall.

The council is due to make a decision early next month. Greer believes the coal mine could destroy her business and others in the area, and kill the region as a tourist destination.

“We can’t deny that closing the business is a possibility,” said Greer. “There is a balance that a small business like us has, and our staff levels are structured to meet the number of customers.

“We are fighting this on a personal level because this business means the world to us, but it has a wider impact on the region and how we are perceived. If UK Coal gets the go-ahead here, I just feel it would set a precedent and we would be looking at the destruction of huge parts of the countryside in this area.”

Greer explained that more than 200 letters of support for the coal mine had been sent to the council, the majority of which are from employers and others associated with UK Coal.

She added that petitions opposing the move will only be counted as a single objection by the council, so licensees should email planning@northumberland.gov.uk, quoting planning application reference number 10/00255/CCMEIA, copying it to their own local councillor.

A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: “The planning application from UK Coal is currently being considered and a decision is likely to be made at the next planning meeting on 5 March.”