We’re referring to Wolf Minerals’ open pit tungsten mine just outside Plymouth, near the villages of Sparkwell and Hemerdon.
Wolf Minerals are an Australian mining outfit whose sole operation is the Drakelands Mine. Last November, DCC considered a planning application from the company to extend operations from 2021 to 2036. Sparkwell Parish Council responded to the application, and were:
Concerned about blasting and impact of vibration on people and their property. The application should be delayed or rejected until the unacceptable levels of disturbance to residents can be proven to be an extraordinary occurrence and not likely to re-occur. A track record of blasting impacts needs to be established... Current issues should be resolved before consent is granted for a further 15 years. Their own consultation has indicated health issues arising from lack of sleep caused by Low Frequency Noise (LFN) and additional information is required on this matter as 56 households and up to 103 individuals have stated that they are affected and are experiencing health impacts with more suspected outside the Parish.
Despite this, the officer’s report recommended approval:
The protection to be afforded to residents has to be balanced with the reality of the scale of this particular mining operation which is one of the largest mines in Western Europe. 6.64
And, although councillors heard first hand (41 minutes in) about the "horrendous invasive unacceptable" impact that blasting and LFN was having on the lives of local residents, the application was approved.
Wolf is now back with a new application. To rub salt into residents’ wounds, it’s for a new explosives store. Apparently:
There were difficulties involved in achieving ‘just in time’ delivery of the material, and on occasions blasts had had to be postponed.
So, have the impacts from blasting been reduced? Not if this article is anything to go by:
Cllr May said unfortunately villagers felt that ’nothing ever really changes’, and there had been a blast on the day of the meeting that had been ’really bad’… residents experienced things falling off shelves in their homes…
Looking beyond the health cost to local residents, it looks like Wolf Minerals could need more than a new explosives store to survive:
Martin Potts, analyst at FinnCap, said: "I’d be surprised if the tungsten price rise alone can save them. You’d have to say it’s going to be difficult. The question is: if at the end of this [turnaround] it’s not generating cash, then what happens next?"
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| Photo: Jeff Collins |
