THE company behind ­controversial plans to mine 10 million tonnes of coal from the Midlothian countryside has claimed it would create hundreds of long-term jobs and generate millions of pounds for the economy.

Operator Hargreaves, which recently took control of Scottish Coal, made the prediction after council planners agreed to allow the site to be mined at Cauldhall near Rosewell for the next 10 years.

The meeting at Midlothian Council's headquarters in Dalkeith was delayed by 15 minutes yesterday to allow the high number of members of the public, many of whom had staged a last minute protest outside, into the building.

The protestors said they believed the 500-acre site would become a blight on the landscape and that they would continue to campaign to halt the plan.

The project will create up to 230 full time mining jobs and at least 100 additional posts in the local supply chain, the mining firm said. It also claimed it would provide opportunities for smaller local companies.

Durham-based Hargreaves said agreement on restoration, one of the concerns of the campaigners who set up the Stop Cauldhall Open Cast website, would be guaranteed. It also said it would complete the restoration of the nearby Shewington Surface Mine which was left unfinished following the liquidation of Scottish Coal.

An agreed recruitment strategy will be set up with the aim of employing as many local people as possible, the company added

Peter Gillatt, Managing Director of Hargreaves Production, said: "This is extremely positive news for the people of Midlothian and the Scottish coal industry, who will see genuine benefit from the hundreds of jobs the Cauldhall Moor project will create.

"This is a fantastic development and will make a considerable contribution to all our energy needs for the next 10 years."

The coal will be sold to power stations for the generation of electricity.

Council leader and ­planning committee chair Owen Thompson said: "This will be a phased development, with each area mined and restored before the company moves onto the next area as the project progresses and that gives us some peace of mind over the future restoration of the site."

The council said the economic benefit of the development to Scotland was put at £475m over the life of the mine. The mine owner will also provide cash for community projects totalling £2.75m and a further £1.7m will be available through a special coal levy.

Nearly 300 letters and a 500 signature petition were lodged against the plans. Oliver Munnion of Stop Cauldhall Open Cast said: "The campaign is by no means over. It is severely disappointing and we will be looking at what we can do now. We don't have a right of appeal but we do have options."

Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and a member of Holyrood's economy and energy committee, said the impacts on local communities including noise, dust and heavy traffic are unacceptable.