Residents of the UK’s last opencast mine are feeling utterly betrayed by the new plans proposed for the site, labeling it as the “ultimate betrayal.” The original plan, approved in 2011, aimed to restore the 285-hectare Ffos-y-Fran mine site in Merthyr Tydfil once coal mining operations ceased. However, changes to the plans have left campaigners concerned about the safety of the area for the public following the mine’s closure in 2023.
According to the new application, the site will now feature steeper slopes around the main excavation area, with designated fencing to prevent livestock grazing. Local residents like Alyson and Chris Austin, who reside on the edge of the site, feel deeply let down by these alterations. Chris expressed their frustrations, stating, “We’ve suffered the noise, the dust, and the only thing we were going to get out of it has been taken away from us.”
The Ffos-y-Fran mine shut down in November 2023 after failing to secure an extension from Merthyr Tydfil council. This closure resulted in 115 staff members losing their jobs, marking the end of an era for the mine that once accounted for 86% of the UK’s total coal output. Despite the residents’ efforts to engage with the Welsh government and local authorities to influence regulatory changes, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
The proposed new “low level” plans, which have yet to undergo council planning discussions, outline measures such as reducing the height of one coal tip, seeding grass, and maintaining exposed rock surfaces to support bird habitats. The site’s classification as a “land reclamation scheme” aims to transform it into green hillside areas for the community’s benefit. Concerns over rising water levels within the mining void have only added to the residents’ anxieties about the future of the site’s restoration. The Coal Action Network has strongly criticized the revised plans, describing them as a “proposal to do as little as possible in a final betrayal” of the promises made to Merthyr Tydfil residents
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