A group in Leicestershire has produced evidence about the current and possible future locations for opencast coal mining.in England. In all it identifies 23 Current sites and 43 potential sites.The evidence is in the form of a two part review and it has been produced to support the arguments for the 500 Metre Buffer Zone Bill which gets its 2nd Reading in the House of Commons on 11/2/11.

Final statement from the Ratcliffe defendants: post sentencing

5th January 2011



The Judge described Ratcliffe power station activists as "honest, sincere, conscientious, intelligent, committed, dedicated, caring". That they acted with "highest possible motives".

Success!

The beginning of 2011 offers an opportunty to look back over 2010 and review how much the local activist movement has achieved. Last year has not always been easy, but in compiling a review of what has gone on, it is surprising just how much has gone on. Hopefully, this should provide a strong base for moving forward into 2011.

Previous features: Notts Indymedia: review of 2009

World Peace!

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The Minorca Opencast Protest Group has just published its 6th set of objections to UK Coal's latest plans to opencast the Minorca site near Measham in Leicestershire. These objections centre on the risk that working the site will threaten the River Mease Special Area of Conservation

Even as Christmas approached, the cutting of public services in Nottinghamshire continued. The festivities have taken the sails out of the resistance to these attacks, but I'm sure it will be back with a vengeance in the new year. (On which note, make sure you put the Combating the Cuts event on January 15th in your diary.) Until then, why not spend some of the post-Christmas lull reading up on ex…

Council plans to develop the road junction between Alfreton Road, Bobbers Mill Road and Churchfield Road include the installation of CCTV. The council's explanation of and justification for the scheme have been described by a Notttingham Indymedia reader as "confusing."

On the newswire: More info on Hyson Green CCTV | More CCTV slipped into Nottingham

Previous features: Campaign against CCTV in…

This article summarises known information about Opencast / Surface Mining Applicationsin England over the period 2009 / 10 by indication where Applications have been successful, where they have been rejected, where applications are currently 'live' and lastly where applications are likely to be made.

A confusing message from the City Council's Traffic Management department reveals more about the proposed CCTV camera installation:

A police officer spent seven years undercover living as a hippie and environmental activist to infiltrate peaceful protest groups

Even with Christmas only just over the horizon, the cuts have continued over the last week, with the announcement of the funding settlement for local councils hitting Nottingham particularly hard. Even Cuts Watch has been cutback, this week's edition arriving late and in a slimmed down version. "Normal" service may or may not resume after the holiday period.

Not quite so much happening over the next fortnight, but everyone can think of the animals for whom this time of the year is certainly no holiday.

Download Animal Aid's Compassionate Christmas guide to festive animal-friendly, fashion, food and fun (pdf) from http://www.animalaid.org.uk/images/pdf/booklets/xmas.pdf.

On Wednesday 15th December, supporters of the Gedling School held a demonstration outside County Hall to protest plans to close the school.

The Nottingham Solidarity Network will be forming soon! We are currently a group of community activists in the Forest Fields and Hyson Green area who want to form a network of local groups across the city. The aim of this network would be to support each other and show solidarity with one another. We are committed to local community ownership of our own resources, where people genuinely take back …

After a 3 week trial and 3 days of deliberation for the jury, 20 climate activists were found guilty of conspiring to commit aggravated trespass today. The defendants were amongst 114 activists arrested at a Nottingham school in April 2009, on the verge of taking action to shut down the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. Over the course of the trial the jury heard evidence from a raft of expert…

Press release: Activists found guilty in Ratcliffe coal climate trial

As the UN climate talks finish in Cancun, and fail once again to come up with any legally binding framework to reduce emissions, the British legal system is still upholding business as usual. This can’t continue. Burning coal has no future.

14 December 2010



All 20 defendants are found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Trespass at Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station in April 2009.

Monday 13 Dec 2010



10.00am and all back in court yet again.

The past week has seen the snow give way to freezing temperatures, but again this has done nothing to stop the onslaught on public services, nor the burgeoning fightback, with even Prince Charles getting caught up in anti-fees protests. Events haven't been quite so exciting in Notttinghamshire, but there's been a lot going on, some of which (but inevitably not all) is recorded below.

If you’ve g…

After Notts Council told Nottingham Vegan Campaigns we could no longer use the Council House for our annual food festival, we took it to the streets instead. The aim was to set up 10 stalls - five food-related and five campaign stalls - in locations across Nottingham. The event went really well, so a huge thanks to everyone involved!

Saturday 4th December 2010, 1-5pm



Day of action on student fees and education cuts in Nottingham. oh, and corporate tax evasion.

10 December 2010



His Honour Judge Teare concludes his summing up and directions.

9 December 2010



Miss Felicity Gerry for the prosecution begins her speech to the jury.

Taken from: http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/day-13-no-verdict-this-week/

On Thursday 9th December, Notts County Unison held a small protest outside County Hall.

8 December 2010

Mr Rees for the defence says that there will be no more ‘live’ evidence presented.