Miners' memorial plan in former pit village wins planning permission

The sculpture will go up in Coronation Park in Dinnington, along with a plinth to take the names of miners who worked at the colliery there and will sit alongside a half pit wheel and war memorial already in the park.

Planners at Rotherham Council who approved the scheme were told there had been 21 letters of support and nine objections, with some people feeling the new structure would detract from the setting of the war memorial.

Objector Jean Hart told a planning board meeting: 'There are already official memorials for Dinnington Colliery and miners.

'Coronation Park is a small area. We are honoured to have a war memorial in it. This proposal is out of scale for the park. Its size eclipses the war memorial.'

A group of fund raisers has been working on the project for five years and spokesman David Smith told the meeting they had support from the Dinnington Town Council and also that there were no objections from the Royal British Legion.

'It has massive support throughout the town,' he said.

Coun Jennifer Whysall said: 'I think this is not only OK but highly appropriate.'

Coun Bob Walsh questioned whether it was correct to include some rather than all of the names of former Dinnington colliers on the memorial, but described the statue design as 'wonderful'.

Permission was granted on a unanimous vote.