Another Highlands village has been declared a ‘coal free community’.

Coal Free Southern Highlands and Battle for Berrima recently conducted a survey of households in Exeter.

Of those households in the immediate Exeter Village that were contacted and surveyed, 94 per cent of households contacted wanted their community to be coal free. 

Battle for Berrima president Ken Wilson said even taking into account households that were unable to be contacted by surveyors, a clear majority of 75 per cent wanted their community to be coal free. 

Four villages in the Highlands have now been declared coal free communities with Exeter joining Berrima, Medway and Burrawang.

Mr Wilson said “that an outcome such as this in a state or federal election would be considered a landslide”. 

“The real power of the street-by-street survey is that we have been able to give the Exeter Village community a voice to say whether it wants coal mining and exploration to be a part of its future,” he said.

“It has democratically spoken on this issue and the answer to this question is a landslide no.”

Hume Coal media coordinator Ben Fitzsimmons said coal was a resource which would bring many benefits to the region.

“Coal is an amazing resource as it is a fundamental raw material in every day products and processes,” he said.

“We remind the community of the role coal has played in the shaping our local region, and count ourselves fortunate that this region may continue to benefit from the sustainable mining of high quality coking coal for both the local and international steel manufacturing industries.”

The coal free declaration was made before Wingecarribee mayor Ken Halstead.

Mr Wilson said while the coal free declarations had no legal standing they left no uncertainty as to the views of households within these communities concerning future coal mining development.