An Australian company could be reopening the Kent Coalfield, 23 years after production ended at Betteshanger Colliery near Deal.

The Dysart Coal Mine Management Pty Limited has applied for a special licence to secure the rights for coal and it is believed it could be for land near Ripple.

Jim Davies, 70, from Cavell Square, Deal, who worked at Betteshanger pit for 33 years, said: "If everything goes well, there could be coal produced in this area again in less than five years.

"There are abundant supplies of good quality coal around here, so the company is onto a winner!

"If everything goes well it would be good for jobs and the prosperity of the area.

"When Betteshanger closed I always knew the coalfield would be a reality again and now it is a high-tech industry, with carbon capture and other advancements. No need for even a spoil heap."

An application for a conditional underground licence, called the Kent Coalfield Redevelopment Project, has been applied for by an Australian Company called Dysart Coal Mine Management Pty Limited based in Brisbane.

conditional underground licence would not immediately give an operator the power to mine coal and is conditional on other rights and permissions being granted.Steve Barnes, licensing and permissions manager at the Coal Authority, said a

He added: "These are most notably planning permission and surface access rights for the mine site etc.

"If a licence is granted, it is too early to say whether the company will proceed with this project. Dysart have simply applied for a licence to secure the rights for coal for a limited period of time to carry out a feasibility study and if this study is positive apply for planning permission for a new mine."

* For full story see the East Kent Mercury, March 15.