Last week United Collieries submitted a development proposal to the NSW Department of Planning to extend existing underground mining operations into the zone, and install surface infrastructure.

 

The department application follows news last month that the Heritage Council of NSW had granted United Collieries an exemption for the need to gain approval under the Heritage Act for the proposed mining.

 

Exemption was endorsed on the basis that the proposed works described in United's application were assessed to likely have a minor impact on the heritage values of the Wambo Homestead complex.

 

United has proposed a modification that seeks to extend mining within part of the exclusion zone without mining directly under the Wambo Homestead complex.

 

The six-hectare exclusion zone was originally put in place with the grant of the development consent in 2003 to protect the homestead from subsidence impacts.

 

The Longwall 7 exclusion zone currently sterilises about 250,000t of coal and represents a significant interference to the longwall mining method.

 

In its September statement of environmental effects, United said mining of the Longwall 7 exclusion zone would allow it to "access a significant amount of coal and avoid a disruption to the mining process".

 

The development proposal will be up for public comment until October 8.

 

The United mine is located in the Hunter Valley near Singleton and produced 3.07 million tones in 2006-07.