Rusha surface mining proposals

Banks Developments has identified a deposit of coal in an area to the south of Breich Village in West Lothian, which we propose to recover through surface mining, we have named the site Rusha. We have recently undertaken a search to identify new surface mining sites in Central Scotland to replace those that have recently been completed in the last two years; the Rusha site which is allocated in the local structure plan as an ‘area of search’ for opencast coal, has been identified from this exercise.

We have submitted a planning application to West Lothian Council.

We are committed to working to the highest practical standards and have implemented an environmental policy which ensures that our developments are operated with close regard for the communities in which we work.

Site details
• We have identified approximately 1.5 million tonnes of coal at the site, which could provide indigenous coal to Scottish power stations
• The duration of the site is expected to be around 7 years, which includes the mining operation and restoration
• The site would operate from Monday to Friday 7am-7pm and on Saturday from 7am–1pm
• Approximately 50 jobs would be created

Environmental controls
We are recognised in the industry as a leader in the innovation of environmental controls and have recently won a number of awards to confirm this. We are confident that we could work the Rusha site in an environmentally acceptable way.

The Rusha scheme will have a site specific environmental management plan, which will be included in the planning application. This is designed to the high standards set out in the Banks Group Environmental Policy.

The planning application would investigate the potential impact of noise, dust and water discharge from the site and any mitigation that would be required.

We take environmental monitoring very seriously, with a continuing programme of assessment to ensure the environment is disrupted as little as possible. Members of the community are invited to attend our environmental audits on site to see for themselves the high standards of environmental performance.

As part of the planning application we have carried out further environmental impact assessments, which included consideration of ecology, landscape, archaeology and soils.

Restoration strategy
The site is currently a mix of forestry and grazing land. Our proposals would be to restore most of the site to it current use, but also provide new features which could include the following:

 Creation of additional water bodies and areas of ecological interest
 Planting of more diverse areas of woodlands
 New public footpaths/areas for recreational use


If we are granted planning permission to operate the Rusha Surface Mine we would establish a liaison committee which would act as a forum for discussion. The committee would meet regularly to discuss progress on site, the results of environmental monitoring and any issues raised by local residents. The committee would include representatives of the surrounding community, local councillors, representatives of the planning authority and representatives of The Banks Group.

A Rusha Community Benefits Fund would also be created to provide funding for local projects, groups and organisations. Applications made to the fund would be considered by a sub-committee of the liaison committee, which would include representatives of the local community.

Click here to read a pdf copy of an information brochure about our Rusha proposals.