VDM Van Dieman

RNS Number:1076W
Van Dieman Mines plc
04 May 2007



                              VAN DIEMAN MINES PLC

                        Environment Permitting Approved

Van Dieman Mines plc ("Van Dieman" or "The Company"), the AIM listed mining
company which is developing tin and sapphire mines in Tasmania, Australia
announces a major breakthrough in the permitting procedure.

After six months of protracted and difficult negotiation the Company announces
that it has, on the 3rd May, 2007, received advice from the Department of
Tourism, Arts and Environment (DTAE) that the Tasmanian Board of Environmental
Management and Pollution Control has approved its Development Proposal and
Environmental Management Plan (DPEMP) together with attaching conditions. The
DTAE attaching conditions were forwarded prior to the Board meeting and are
satisfactory to The Company.

The approvals process now requires that DTAE forward the approved DPEMP and
attaching conditions direct to the Dorset Council to be included with the
Company's Development Application for approval at a Council meeting schedule for
21st May. Issue of final permitting by the Council, which is anticipated by mid
June, will enable the Company to immediately move into pre-mining site works.

Scheduling of pre-mining site works is complete. Development will involve road
and bridge upgrading, provision of new heavy vehicle access, dam site
construction, commencement of pumping of freshwater to dam storage, treatment
plant and site office and workshop infrastructure construction. Road engineering
and bridge / culvert engineering design are completed. The Company has already
commenced dam wall foundation geotechnical works, those works will include three
drill holes along the centerline of the alluvial orebody (the tin bearing
palaeochannel) north of the old Scotia Open Cut.

The Company proposes immediately on receipt of the Council permit to excavate a
50 cubic metre sample from the ore zone in the Scotia Open Cut. This sample will
then be treated through The Company pilot plant and data obtained from that test
work and from previous bulk sampling used to simplify and fine tune final
operating settings of the main treatment plant prior to production trialing.

With the recent arrival on site of the specialized sapphire conveyors
installation of the of the tin / sapphire clean-up circuit at the Campbell
Street facility is underway and completion of the circuit to production standard
is scheduled to coincide with the issue of Council permitting.

The Board will update shareholders when Development Application and attached
conditions has been approved by the Dorset Council.

                                                                     4 May, 2007

ENQUIRIES:

VAN DIEMAN MINES plc                  Tel: +61 (0) 2 8908 5103
Clive Trist, Managing Director        Email: clive.trist@vandiemanmines.com

GRANT THORNTON CORPORATE FINANCE      Tel: +44 (0) 20 7383 5100
Fiona Owen

BANKSIDE CONSULTANTS                  Tel: +44 (0) 20 7367 8888
Michael Padley / Daniela Hale



                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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