A PUBLIC meeting has been arranged by Callington Town Council next week to discuss the exploration drilling programme planned for Kelly Bray’s historic mining area.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 16 and will give people the chance to ask any questions or raise any concerns they may have relating to the planned exploration drilling at Redmoor Mine.

The meeting will give the council an indication of public feeling before it makes a decision as a consultee on the planning application for the programme of exploration drilling on land at Redmoor at its planning meeting the following week.

Australian mining company New Age Exploration (NAE) acquired an exploration licence and the right to develop and operate a mine at Redmoor in 2012 and the following year carried out analysis on the site’s previous samples to verify drilling results taken in the 1970s and 1980s.

Last year, Cornwall Resources Ltd was set up — a joint venture between NAE and Strategic Minerals — for the Redmoor Tin-Tungsten mine project.

Just over 20 bore holes have been planned for the mine over a two-phase drilling programme to identify and expand resources, which is due to start early this year.

The proposed drilling programme for the bore holes, which will be of depths of up to 500 metres, is expected to take up to six months.

Local landowners have been contacted concerning their land and communication sessions for local residents have been held at the Swingletree pub during December and January by Cornwall Resources Ltd.

Maps about the drilling locations will be on display at the meeting and mining consultant Jeff Harrison will be in attendance to answer questions and concerns.

Callington town clerk Helen Dowdall said: ‘Residents and the mining company have been having communication sessions at the pub. There has been a lot of speculation going around, but the council wants to give people the chance to share their thoughts and concerns on the application before the full planning application goes ahead of the council the following week.

‘Often it is the speculation over applications like this that concerns people, more than the actual facts. This speculation can be addressed at this meeting and hopefully put many people’s minds at ease.’

The meeting will take place in Callington Town Hall at 7pm. It is expected the meeting will be well attended and so public speaking time will be limited to three minutes per person, allowing as many people as possible the opportunity to express their views.

The council will make its decision at its planning meeting the following week but the final decision on the application will be made by Cornwall Council at a future date.