RESTORATION is well underway for Crossgates’ Muir Dean surface mine site with the top soil placed and seeding about to start.

Working closely with landowners, the council and the community, contractors Hargreaves Production Surface Mining, are changing a landscape which once was a gaping 45m deep hole covering and area of 226 Hectares - back to arable farmland.

Colin Slater, area production manager for Hargreaves Production Surface Mining said, “John Johnstone, the farmer who owns Annfield farm where part of the mine was, has been left with a hole in his back garden that was 45 metres deep which needed around three million tonnes of overburden (stone and earth) to fill the void.

“The aim is to a get restoration plan delivered and by working with landowners we have achieved quite a bit so far - the top soil is in place and the seeding is about to start.

“We have worked very locally, a lot of the guys working on the site being Fife based, there is a good work force in Fife and we wanted to utilise that.

“Around 38 direct employees and more separate workers are based here at Muir Dean.” Hargreaves Surface Mining have also come up with solutions for the Fordell Day Level – the water system in place during the mine’s operation.

Mr Slater continued, “What we had was a man made drain. We needed to manage that, it was really high in iron, was red and had a really sulphur smell. A solution for Fordell has been agreed with SEPA and the council and will be delivered as part of the restoration plan.” ATH Resources opened an opencast mine at Muir Dean in 2008, south of the village, with the intention of removing two million tons of coal.

The planning permission for the mine was initially refused by Fife Council but the decision was later overturned by the Scottish Government.

In April 2011 an extension application for the site was lodged by ATH Resources to extend the surface mine to the south. The application was granted before ATH Resources went into administration in early 2013 - leaving landowners like Mr Johnston uncertain about the future of their land.

In November 2013 Hargreaves Production Surface Mining were contracted to restore the site.

Mr Slater continued, “Our aim is to get as much of Mr Johnston’s land back as we can. We work closely with him and the council liaising with them to make the progress.

“We meet with the council each month to make sure that we are compliant with everything. We submit monthly figures so they know exactly what is happening. They want to know about any environmental issues, if we have received any complaints, how far restoration is going and where we are in the time scale of the restoration.

“We also transport all the coal from Muir Dean to Longannet power station so it is Fife coal going to a Fife power station – so it is working well.

“We are dispatching 1200 – 1400 tonnes of coal a day to Longannet. We have a specification based on heat and sulphur and sampled on site, independently and by Scottish Power.

“There has been a lot of concern about the coal industry and hopefully Hargreaves has shown that it is a very buoyant and buy-able business and shown that with the right working partnership good things can be achieved.

“We are very fortunate to have Longannet and to have a company like Scottish Power who support the industry in Scotland. Without a doubt the industry has experienced a difficult time in the last 12 -18 months but we are seeing positive outcomes, being involved locally, sponsoring a coal race in Kelty and supporting local groups and community funds for here and the St Ninians site.” With the project to be finished towards the end of next year Hargreaves are already considering taking up more contracts in the area.

Landowner John Johnston, of Annfield Farm said, “I am very pleased as far it has goes, my plan for future is to return it to what it was, farm it to what it was - that has always been the plan and intention to continue as before as mixed farming and arable for the beef cattle.

“The restoration is getting there and it is pleasing to see it on its way.

“It was a difficult time last year, very worrying when ATH were moving away from the site. From April to the November before Hargreaves were contracted it was very uncertain regarding the reinstatement, dealing with mine water which is not on our land but very nearby.

“I am in a much more comfortable position than I was last April.

“I was included in all the discussions and the attitude has been like we are all in it together.”