Developer shelves homes for coal

A developer has revealed plans to mine coal at former Midlands industrial site prior to its redevelopment as a mixed-use scheme.

Developer Maximus plans to build 1300 homes on the site at Clay Cross in Derbyshire for which planning permission was obtained in 2006 along with offices hotels factories a country park and sports complex.

But with the housing downturn and the price for coal rising sharply Maximus is now looking to temporarily cash in on the energy market. The company estimates there is 70000 tonnes of coal at the site which will take 12-18 months to extract.