While a spokesman from Gloucester Resources said the company had welcomed the official extension of the exploration licences.

“We advised the community of the extension through the consultative committee meeting in July this year,” he said.

“We look forward to positive engagement with the community as we go forward,” he said.

Gloucester Resources Limited holds three exploration licences in the Gloucester area, two of these licences were granted in March 2006 and one in May 2006.

A spokesman for Mineral Resources Minister Ian Macdonald said renewal applications were lodged for the three licences, and after assessment by the Department, they were renewed for three years on August 12, 2009.

Gloucester Resources accepted the offer on August 10, with the renewal subsequently occurring on August 12, 2009.

The state government announced the renewal of the licences in the NSW Gazette on Friday August 14.

In discussing the renewal at last week’s council meeting Mayor Julie Lyford said she had publically expressed council’s disappointment in a number of media interviews since the renewal became public knowledge.

“It’s a political statement that we need to make to express our disappointment.

“We need to make a public statement, (and) re-issue council’s position,” she said.

That position, adopted in a resolution of council at the Febuary meeting was “that council request the Minister for Mineral Resources to undertake a review of explroation licence No. 6523, 6524 and 6563 held by Gloucester Resources Ltd to reduce the areas of these licences under Section 17 of the Mining Act 1992 to exclude all land areas zoned 7(d) Environmental Protection (Scenic) under the Gloucester LEP 2000.”

The council will now write to Minister Ian Macdonald to formally express their disappointment at the renewal of the licences.

Gloucester Residents in Partnership (GRIP) president Dianne Montague said the organisation would continue its fight against the exploration licences.