Last September, Alyson Austin had a bottle of Champagne in the fridge, ready to celebrate the news that mining at Ffos-y-Fran - the largest opencast coal mine in the UK - would cease after 15 years. Many residents had long awaited the day when mining would stop at the Merthyr Tydfil site, having battled for years over the noise, dust and pollution they say had marred their lives.
But when plans to extend activities for another nine months were lodged with Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council as the clock ran down, Alyson admitted she cried at the prospect of locals mounting another fight in the long battle since mining was given permission in 2006.
This week, however, there was new hope. On Wednesday April 26, the council refused the extension to keep the mine open until March 2024, saying it did not fit with Welsh Government policies on tackling climate change. Production at the mine must now stop after 16 years, leaving many residents quite literally popping prosecco in celebration.
Read more: Living in the noise, dust and pollution of the UK's largest open coal mine at Ffos-y-Fran, Merthyr Tydfil
"I'm absolutely thrilled," Alyson, who has lived near the mine for 20 years, told WalesOnline. "It's a massive relief. It's a huge weight that has been lifted. We didn't realise how big that weight has been over the last 20 years.
"We've tried to mitigate the impact for 20 years and tried to get them to reduce that. The officer's report recommended that it be rejected. I thought 'if they have any sense they will go with that.' But you never can guarantee. Until it's in the bag, it's not in the bag.
"We had two bottles of prosecco last night. The Champagne is definitely waiting to be drank now."
Alyson, 59, who lives with her husband Chris a stone's throw from the mine and has long campaigned against the site, told WalesOnline that work when it first started was "16 hours a day, from seven in the morning until 11 at night." The couple even used to take their young children at the time to Tesco or Asda just to be away from the mine.
Years later, residents continued to complain about dust, noise and fears over pollution, though Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, which operates, the mine, has maintained it was heavily regulated, provided much-needed steel in Wales and gave people in a deprived area well-paid jobs.
Alyson said residents admitted they feared a new appeal being lodged, something the company has yet to indicate its plans on. But she said said she hoped an enforcement order would now be placed to stop mining at the site given the refusal of permission.
Concerns had previously been raised by campaigners who claimed that mining had continued at Ffos-y-Fran despite planning permission running out in September. The campaign group Coal Action Network claimed last week that Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has continued to mine over 100,000 tonnes of coal since the permission ended, according to official statistics by the Coal Authority. The group claimed emissions from coal mined in the last three months of 2022 reportedly totalled over 324,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent - or equivalent to burning more than 138 million litres of petrol.
A spokesperson for Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd said at the time it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the claims it had been operating without permission due to the involvement of campaigners' solicitors. Welsh Government had already issued a direction to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council that it couldn't grant permission for an extension to mining unless authorised by Welsh ministers.
With the news that operations must now halt, Anne Harris, campaigner at Coal Action Network, said it was "an important victory for anti-coal and environmental campaigners. Local residents have been fighting against opencast coal mining for 20 years and suffering the consequences for 16," she said.
Haf Elgar, Director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said it was "pleased and relieved" by the decision which it described as a "huge win for climate, nature, and the local community." "Enough is enough – residents have had to put up with the noise and air pollution for over 16 years," she said. "We’re living in a climate emergency and cannot dig up and burn any more coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels.
"This is a strong and clear message that coal mining goes against Wales’ climate, planning and coal policies and sets a strong precedent. Mining must now be stopped immediately, and mine restored by the owner as soon as possible, so that the local community can finally have the cleaner greener future they deserve."
However, concerns now remain over Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd's plans to restore the land, which the company had previously hoped to be completed by 2026. Merthyr councillors heard this week that "insufficient funds" had been set aside to complete the restoration, with around £15m was in an Escrow account for this - well short of what a council officer has forecast will be needed, between £75m and £125m. Coal mine bosses have said they needed more time to consult on a revised restoration plan. Merthyr council said this week it was "currently reviewing appropriate enforcement action" at the site and was "open to any discussion with the mine operator for a revised restoration strategy of the site."
And locals and campaigners admitted the future of the massive site near their homes remained a concern. "There is a real concern that the site will not be restored as there has only been £15 million set aside by the mining company for this, when between £75m- £125million will be needed," Anne Harris from Coal Action Network said. "The Welsh Government approved this application in 2005 and must ensure that the council takes urgent enforcement action and the full restoration plan is enacted."
Bethan Sayed, Campaign Coordinator at Climate Cymru, is from Merthyr and has family living there. She described the closure as "a long time coming" and added. "A lot of the campaigners have wanted this to end before now."
However, she said residents remained concerned over what would happen to restoring the site, and that she hoped this would not become a similar issue to the former Margam opencast coal mine near Port Talbot which has been disused and mostly flooded since closing in 2008. "A lot of residents are obviously concerned that the company will appeal, and there is a huge, huge void filled with water at the former mine in Kenfig Hill that is a threat to life."
Ms Sayed warned it may take a "long, long time" for Ffos-y-Fran to be restored and said it was important that residents were properly consulted on it. "It's a really good result, especially because you are seeing different decisions being made in England, but there is a question on how that land is repatriated to the community and it is important that they have a say, rather than being told what will happen to it, as is often the case. It's about what happens next."
Resident Alyson Austin said she was "unsure on the legal situation" regarding restoration of the mine but that she hoped to see the community benefit from the site in the years to come with support from UK and Welsh ministers if necessary. "It would be lovely if the Welsh Government and Westminster stepped in and helped the local authority. Given the sums being discussed, this will bankrupt them."
Ms Sayed congratulated residents who had fought against the site for many years, even in the face of some local support for Ffos-y- Fran which had created friction within their own communities. "There are jobs involved and residents sometimes found it difficult," she said.
"It's not always been a walk in the park locally. Obviously a lot of people have worked there and it creates jobs, and that's where I have respect for the campaigners because they've had hard times and have faced abuse themselves. That's not something they deserve. They've had to become legal experts overnight against big companies with lots of resources and legal access. Now I hope they can breathe some sigh of relief, but they won't be entirely resting."
Ms Sayed added that work was now needed to create more green jobs in Wales. "We have to be talking about places like Merthyr and Port Talbot. We can't pit normal people against normal people," she said, adding that she hoped the decision would signal that other mooted plans for other mining sites in Wales were not welcome.
A Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council spokesperson said: "A decision notice will be issued on Thursday, April 27 following the decision at yesterday’s (Wednesday's) planning committee to refuse the application to extend the life of the existing Ffos-y-Fran mine.
"The council is currently reviewing appropriate enforcement action. We remain open to any discussion with the mine operator for a revised restoration strategy of the site, in light of the insufficient funds reported in the planning application."
Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has been approached for comment.
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