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Plans for a new restoration scheme for the Ffos y Fran opencast coal mine in Merthyr Tydfil have been revealed.
The company behind the mine, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, has applied for a revised scheme for the final restoration of 285 hectares of land.
Ffos y Fran closed in November, 2023, after Merthyr Tydfil Council refused an application to extend the time of operations there.
The license to extract coal from Ffos y Fran expired in September 2022. However, local residents reported that the mine was still operating – illegally – many months after this before the site was finally closed in November 2023.
Between 2007 and 2023, around 11 million tonnes of coal was extracted from the site.
What are the key elements of the revised restoration plan?
- A mound in the northern part of the site which is visible from parts of Merthyr and sections of the Heads of Valley Road, A4060 and surrounding area, would be reduced in height, reprofiled and grass seeded;
- Sections of exposed rock on the western side of the mound would be kept as open scree and as a geological feature for visual amenity and providing potential habitat for lichens and mosses as well as possibly a suitable location for breeding birds such as ravens and peregrines;
- Two other mounds would remain largely as they appear today, and the lower slopes grass seeded and planted with native tree species;
- Old reservoirs, dams and leats that remain from previous phases of mining activity, including the Dowlais free drainage system, would be kept and improved for biodiversity. Other water bodies such as settlement lagoons used in the earlier phases of Ffos y Fran would also be kept and protected;
- The groundwater lake that has formed naturally in the main void would be kept with shallow banks and margins around the shores of the lake. The surrounding slopes of the lake would be “re-profiled” and planted with native trees to form a mixed woodland;
- Demolition and removal of existing buildings associated with the operational mine such as workshops used for vehicle maintenance and storage of materials such as fuel and machinery would be demolished and removed from the site;
- A proportion of the site would be returned to urban common as rough grazing land which would require areas to be fenced off;
- Areas outside the urban common would be prepared for habitats to be created with grassland, woodland, open cliff, wetland, flushes and heath;
- Land adjacent to A4060 would be “reprofiled” to provide potential for future light industrial use and grass seeded for general amenity until opportunities for development come forward;
- Creation of a network of footpaths, public rights of way and a byway open to all traffic.
In its application, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd says it has adopted a more sustainable approach to the restoration.
The company said the traditional approach to bulk earthworks in the restoration process was now considered outdated and unsustainable, and more pragmatic alternatives involving less earthworks were also more affordable.
What are bulk earthworks?
Bulk earthworks is a process which involves moving, adding, or removing large amounts of soil, rock, or other materials. This process is used to prepare land for construction projects.
It also said that fewer bulk earthworks reduced the use of carbon and potential risks to air quality.
In the firm’s green infrastructure statement, which was submitted with the application, it said fewer bulk earthworks could present an opportunity to restore and create a “more interesting and naturally biodiverse landscape”.
It explained that many areas of the site had already been progressively restored or remained dormant and undisturbed for some time, adding that these areas were starting to show signs of nature recovery.
The green infrastructure statement also said that wetland habitats had developed in and around ponds and watercourses on the site – with great crested newts recorded in more than half of the ponds.
Peregrine falcons had also been seen flying over the area, while southern marsh orchids had grown in some of the wetlands.
The statement said: “To implement the original and consented scheme would require significant bulk earthworks, the removal of existing ponds and wetlands and inevitable potential disruption to the local environment.
“The alternative final restoration scheme presents an opportunity to change and improve the approved scheme by implementing a pragmatic and sustainable alternative with significantly less adverse environmental effects and more opportunities for biodiversity enhancements.”
The statement argued that implementing the approved scheme would “see the destruction of waterbodies and wetland habitat” – but says the new strategy’s negative impacts are “significantly less”.
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