First published in 1975, The Mineral Resources of Britain relates the question of mineral extraction to the problem of planning. What demand does the extraction of minerals make on land and what threats does it pose to agriculture and the countryside? Equally, what constraints does land-use planning impose on the development of industries whose output is vital to Britain's economy?
Each industry has a section to itself, examining its location and development, its production and distribution, and its future both in terms of economic prospects and of land development. As well as small sections on industries such as fuller's earth, ball clay, and gypsum, there are long discussions on sand and gravel, iron ore, coal, oil, and natural gas. In each case, Dr Blunden investigates the problem of waste and rehabilitation and the use of new techniques which make mining possible without mutilating either agricultural land or areas of natural beauty. He ends his book with a call for long-term planning strategy. This book can now be read in its historical context.