The number of public submissions on the Canterbury Coal Mine expansion plan has now reached about 630 with a hearing date yet to be set. Photo / Supplied
A controversial mine that extracts 100,000 tonnes of coal a year in Canterbury will close.
About 35 jobs will be lost from Bathurst Resources closing its Canterbury Coal Mine near Darfield.
The company has blamed the cost of regulatory processes for the closure.
Acting CEO Russell Middleton said job losses will be staged over the next year, with workers retained with the company where possible
Forest and Bird was one of the organisations opposing the expansion.
A spokeswoman said it was concerned about the ecological and environmental impacts.
"Our concerns are around freshwater contamination in the already stressed Selwyn Waikirikiri catchment, and the loss of native species and habitat, especially wetlands.
"We are not surprised at the number of submissions.
"We have had concerns about the expansion of Bathurst's Malvern Hills coal mine for some time," she said.