AN EXPLORATION company has said it is "optimistic" a tin mine could open near Newquay, bringing hundreds of jobs to the region – and has scotched rumours it plans to buy up nearby homes in the firing line.
Concerned homeowners in Ruthvoes have heard that some may be forced to sell up under compulsory purchase order (CPO) powers wielded by the local authority's planning arm.
But Treliver Minerals boss Mark Thompson confirmed on Monday that the Treliver Farm Project was still in the "exploration" phase and there were no plans as yet to make offers to buy land or homes.
The company has been carrying out test-drilling and is "optimistic" that up to $1 billion of tin could be mined from the ground at Treliver, near the village of Ruthvoes, creating 600 jobs.
Mr Thompson said: "It is far too early to say definitively that Treliver Minerals will be making any offers to purchase land or property. As an exploration company we are natural optimists and very much hope that our Treliver Farm project will … bring tin mining back to its spiritual home in Cornwall.
"We therefore plan for the best and we have an active dialogue with the three land and property owners who are most likely to be affected by the happy event that mining takes place at our Treliver Farm project."
Private companies are not permitted to make compulsory purchase orders but they can be made by councils and other bodies with statutory powers if a development is deemed to be "in the public interest".
Owners are always well compensated, and also have the option to object to the CPO.
Sue Couser, partner at the nearby Springfields Fun Park and Pony Centre, said rumours had been flying around the area for weeks.
She said: "There have been a lot of rumours about compulsory purchase orders but they've all proved to be false so far. Whether or not this could happen in the future is uncertain. It's something we are concerned about.
"We still don't know if the mine will go ahead and on what scale. We have our concerns about noise pollution and dust, and also the lorries coming and going."
Mr Thompson said an economic viability study would have to take place, as well as further test-drilling, before the company could even consider the land it might need to purchase.
Before a mine could be built a full planning application would have to be made to the 'mineral planning authority' – in this case Cornwall Council.
He said the company had so far conducted itself with "full transparency", and recently held a community event for anyone living within 1km of Treliver Farm, which was "extremely well attended".
A poll this summer, undertaken by a Camborne School of Mines student, showed 96 per cent of people in the area feel a mine in their community would be beneficial.
Mr Thompson said: "The vast majority of local residents, particularly those who were born and bred in Cornwall and understand the county's mining heritage, are strongly in favour of our activities and would like to see us succeed by reviving tin mining in Cornwall."
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
