There will be jubilation in Naburn tonight at the decision by a mining firm to withdraw plans to tunnel under the village.

It had been the intention of RJB to extend the Selby Coalfield under Naburn, which would have led to subsidence and left the village at increased risk of flooding from the River Ouse. The proposals have now been shelved by RJB, leaving residents with what amounts to a victory.

Many people in Naburn had feared that the flood prevention scheme would have damaged their village, and those residents on the riverside were appalled by the prospect of a large flood wall being built at the end of their gardens.

The villagers have already seen the construction of the nearby McArthurGlen shopping complex, and many also live on a road that is used as a 'rat-run' route to Selby. The flood scheme is being reviewed by the Environment Agency and its likely abandonment will come as a relief to villagers.

Villager Laura Hanson led local opposition to the scheme and says that the whole village was united against the mining proposals. She welcomes RJB's announcement, which villagers hope will be a permanent decision. As Laura points out, many residents moved in knowing and accepting that there was a danger of flooding, and would rather take the risk than see the construction of a flood prevention wall.

So happiness is today the lot of Naburn. But as is often the case, good news in one place marks a gloomier turn of events elsewhere. And so it is that RJB's decision not to mine under Naburn is worrying news for the more than 300 miners who work at Stillingfleet Mine, especially following last week's poor results for RJB Mining, which announced a £40 million fall in profits.

The company has already announced jobs losses of 300 at Escrick's North Selby Mine. The miners of Stillingfleet colliery would have benefited from the extra work opened up by the Naburn proposals, so there is now another question mark over an already troubled future.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.