Drone footage shows activity is continuing at an opencast coal mine after it was told to stop production. The operator of Ffos-y-Fran had asked for an extension of its planning permission until 2024 — but Merthyr Tydfil council rejected the application last week amid environmental concerns.
Videos taken from above the Dowlais Top site on Wednesday show coaling has continued. Campaigners have demanded the council take enforcement action to stop the work. Local resident Chris Austin said: "The operator is openly coaling and not even trying to hide it. It's pretty obvious they are not frightened of enforcement action. We are absolutely incensed that the council and Welsh Government are allowing this to happen. They are turning their backs."
A spokeswoman for the operator Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said it is in "active discussions" with the council "for a safe cessation of coaling which includes ongoing restoration”. The Welsh Government said responsibility for enforcement lies with the council "in the first instance". And the council said an investigation is underway and "a decision will be taken as to what enforcement action is the most appropriate".
Read more: The dreamy clifftop farm on the Welsh coast the National Trust wants someone to run
The Ffos-y-Fran scheme got planning permission in 2005 and work began two years later to excavate 11 million tonnes of coal. The project was also meant to restore the former industrial land to green hillside as work progressed. But it has long been a point of controversy among locals who say they have been plagued by coal dust and noise from the site.
After 15 years of work, planning permission expired last September and the operator applied for an extension. The company wanted to keep mining until March 2024 and complete the land restoration by June 2026. Although it argued its scheme was of "national importance" in supplying Port Talbot steelworks, a planning officer concluded that none of the benefits outweighed the disadvantages of "lasting environmental harm". Councillors followed the officer's recommendation to refuse the application.
Reacting to the ongoing activity at the site, Coal Action Network campaigner Daniel Therkelsen told WalesOnline: "We have been trying to get the council to stop the coal mining at Ffos-y-Fran since September 2022, when its planning permission expired — that's the council's job, not ours, but it's still not doing it. We're now forced to ask why. And we're concerned that if the council so completely fails to keep its promise to local residents that mining would stop after 15 years, can we trust the council to keep its promise that the original restoration will be delivered, rather than capitulating to a cheaper knock-off version?"
To get our free daily briefing on the biggest issues affection the nation, Wales Matters, sign up in the news section of our newsletter page here.
The BBC previously reported that the operator had admitted that "insufficient funds" had been set aside to complete the restoration as envisaged back in 2005 and that a revised plan would have to be put forward. The cost of repairing the land is estimated at £75million to £125million, the broadcaster reports.
Mr Austin and his wife Alyson have been taking pictures of activity at the site since last week's council decision. Mrs Austin, a 59-year-old bookkeeper, said a large train could be seen carrying coal at the mine on Wednesday. The council told campaigners a meeting with the operator is scheduled, but Mrs Austin said: "They should have made an enforcement order immediately."
Mr Austin, a 67-year-old retired software engineer, told WalesOnline: "The local authority said last Wednesday that they would act promptly and they haven't done so. It's right that work should be going on, because they're supposed to be in the restoration phase, but coal shouldn't be coming out. They are openly working coal by the side of the road. We fully understand the impacts of burning fossil fuels in this day and age. It should be over."
A spokesperson for Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd previously said it was working on revised proposals for restoration, a "major project" which would see parts of the site become a "tourism and leisure destination", according to the BBC.
A council spokeswoman said: "A number of enforcement avenues are open to the council. Therefore, a thorough investigation by council officers is now underway. Once that investigation has been completed, a decision will be taken as to what enforcement action is the most appropriate. We appreciate the frustrations felt by members of the community and we assure them that we are working to act as quickly as possible."
And a Welsh Government spokesman said: "Responsibility for investigating breaches of planning control rests with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council in the first instance. The role of the Welsh Government is to determine any planning appeals against enforcement notices served by local planning authorities and, to avoid prejudice to this role, we cannot comment further.
“We want to bring a managed end to the extraction and use of coal. We are in a climate and nature emergency and the response must be swift and serious, so we can pass on a Wales we are proud of to future generations.”
READ NEXT:
Damning report criticises failures in Plaid Cymru's handling of sexual harassment
Someone tricked the taxman into handing over £500k by registering firm to someone else's home
Four charged including two adults after 12-year-old boy is injured in park
Mum who starved son to death will stay in secure hospital 'indefinitely'
