Last UK tin mine reopens

The market price for tin is under pressure.

By the BBC's Rebecca Pike.

Britain's last tin mine is to reopen.

The mine, which closed three years ago, has been bought by a local company which plans to begin production next year.

But, far from welcoming it, local planners have attacked the proposals.

They want to turn the area into a high-tech entreprise zone.

Historic Cornwall

Cornwall's landscape is littered with reminders of its past.

At its peak in the nineteenth century more than 20,000 people worked in mining.

But the collapse of the tin price brought the industry to its knees.

Britain's last tin mine at South Crofty hung on until the very end.

After countless announcements of closures and last-minute reprieves, it finally shut down in 1998.

But now - to everyone's surprise - a local mining company has bought it.

They plan to start extracting tin next year.

The site will also be used to bury waste.

Kevin Williams, managing director of Baseresult Holdings Ltd, which has bought the mine, believes he can produce tin cheaply enough to make a profit, despite the low price in the world's markets.

He said he'll also introduce new mining methods, which will save costs.

Jobs in mining

The revival of tin mining here would create hundreds of jobs in an area that has become one of the poorest in Britain.

It would also bring tens of millions of pounds of investment.

But many others are not happy about it. They have got other plans for the area.

A few miles down the road lies Goonhilly earth station.

It is Britain's main communications link with the rest of the world.

It is also something that local planners want to tap into.

High-tech business

They want to build a high-tech business park on the South Crofty site.

They have come up with a £100m plan to redevelop the area.

The last thing they want is a dirty tin mine in the middle of it.

"Tin is an industry in long-term decline," said Cllr Dennis Casley of Kerrier District Council.

"We have no relative advantage in terms of manufacturing. We want to attract hi-tech, electronic communications to the area".

Local opinion is divided

While many Cornish people have a sentimental attachment to tin mining, they are also worried about the viability of reviving South Crofty.

The final decision will be made following a public consultation.

What is decided will be the key to Cornwall's future - whether it lies with the old economy or the new.