The closure of the Ffos-y-Fran opencast mining site near Merthyr Tydfil at the end of 2023 marked the end of the latest chapter in South Wales’ long and complex relationship with coal.
As with deep mines, the number of opencast mining sites has been steadily declining since the 1960s. Despite this, over the last decade several million tonnes of coal have continued to be extracted each year in the UK through opencast. Due to its rich coal seams, south Wales has been home to numerous opencast sites over the years, of varying sizes.
While there are no longer operational opencast sites, the legacy of past sites remains an ever-present issue. While the coal industry has historically brought economic benefits to the south Wales valleys through job creation, it has undoubtedly left deep scars on the landscape and communities.
Earlier this year, the Senedd’s Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee undertook an inquiry to gain a deeper understanding of the restoration picture at Ffos-y-Fran and other opencast mines across Wales. While recognising the challenges of ensuring restoration of sites, the Committee found “restoration work has fallen woefully short of what was promised”, citing Ffos y Fran as a “symbol of the system’s failures”.
Was the writing on the wall?
The responsibility for managing the restoration of opencast sites falls primarily to local authorities, with limited roles for the Coal Authority and Natural Resources Wales.
In April 2014, the Welsh Government published research into the failure to restore opencast coal sites in south Wales. It explored current and potential risks relating to inadequate restoration, and potential reasons for failure to restore. It sought to identify where the financial bond or surety held by the local planning authority fell short of the level which might be required to restore a site in accordance with the planning permission, should the site be abandoned or left unrestored.
Ten active sites were identified. In addition, four restored (but in aftercare) sites and three sites with pending planning applications were considered. Four of the ten sites (Glan Lash, Nant-y-Mynydd, Bwlch Ffos and Selar) were not considered significant risks. However, five larger sites (Ffos y Fran, Tower, Nant Helen, East Pit and Margam) were at risk of having insufficient bond cover at some stage of their operating life. Additionally, a smaller but significant site at Dynant Fawr, Tumble, Carmarthenshire was found to have been effectively abandoned in an unrestored state
The study found that bonding and other mechanisms to secure restoration had been applied inconsistently. The funds that had been accrued for some sites fell short of what was needed to restore sites in accordance with the original planning conditions, and to support aftercare of sites.
Corresponding with the Committee ahead of its inquiry, the Welsh Government agreed with the research findings, with the then Minister for Climate Change saying:
There is a lack of funding affecting sites that will mean difficult and unsatisfactory decisions will need to be made about revised restoration plans.
Ffos-y-Fran: A “symbol of the system’s failures”
At the outset in 1990 local people in East Merthyr and Dowlais were given pledges by their local authorities. Yes, there would be noise and nuisance in the short term but after 20 years – 30 at most – the old coal and slag tips stretching from Penydarren near Merthyr Tydfil town centre right up to the top of the overlooking hills would be re-purposed to provide communities with much needed breathing space and an environment that encouraged the revival of biodiversity.
The issues around restoration of the Ffos-y-Fran site have been well documented. The local authority has experienced considerable difficulties in its relationship with the site operator, from the continuation of mining after licence expiry, to challenges in working together to develop a site closure plan and accurately assess the costs of restoration.
Local communities appear to have been left in a situation where restoration of the site won’t be in accordance with the original planning agreement. Instead, it's likely to involve retaining some of the overburden mounds and a body of water in the void.
The Committee described this as an “unacceptable outcome caused by the site operator’s deliberate inaction”. It called for Merthyr Tydfil Council to take the “opportunity to make amends” by ensuring that residents are fully involved in the consideration of the revised restoration plan.
A failure of policy and legislation?
The Committee’s inquiry aimed to not only look to the mistakes of the past, but also to look to the future, to learn lessons to avoid repeating those same mistakes.
Although the closure of Ffos-y-Fran might be the end of the latest chapter, it might not be the last. Whilst the Welsh Government’s current position is that coal extraction applications shouldn’t be approved, the door is left slightly ajar. If in “wholly exceptional circumstances” proposals are put forward, planning policy states they would need to clearly demonstrate why they are required in the context of emissions reduction targets and for reasons of national energy security.
Expressing concern at the potential for this to lead to future mining, the Committee called for the Welsh Government to clarify the criteria that must be used when assessing proposals.
The Committee called for the Welsh Government to ensure that policies relating to mining are robust and up to date so there are appropriate protections for local authorities and communities. This included recommending a review of the Minerals Technical Advice Note for Coal (MTAN2), putting Coal Authority best practice guidance on a statutory footing, and revisiting the recommendations from the 2014 report. Furthermore, it called for an independent review to assess the extent of the funding needed to restore opencast sites to an “acceptable level” – with this being determined in consultation with local authorities and communities.
The Welsh Government, Merthyr Tydfil Council and Swansea residents affected by the Margam site responded to the Committee’s report over the summer. It will be debated in the Senedd on Wednesday 13 November.
Ahead of the debate, read our briefing on opencast restoration in Wales for further context.
Article by Chloe Corbyn, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
