Plans for a new restoration scheme for the Ffos y Fran opencast coal mine in Merthyr Tydfil have been revealed. Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd has applied for a revised scheme for the final restoration of 285 hectares of land that has previously been part of the surface mine operations at Ffos y Fran.
This scheme represents a change to an existing restoration scheme from a planning permission given in 2011. Ffos y Fran closed in November, 2023, after Merthyr Tydfil Council refused an application to extend the time of operations there.
Operations had continued at the mine without planning permission after September, 2022, when it was originally meant to close and this led to an enforcement notice being issued before the actual closure date of November 30, 2023, was confirmed.
READ MORE: {}
It has seen the extraction of around 11 million tons of coal between 2007 and 2023.
The key elements of the revised restoration plan include:
- 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, re-profiled 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 raven and peregrine.
- 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 "re-profiled" 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
The application said that the approach to the restoration of former coal tips has adopted a more sustainable approach.
It said that 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.
It also said that fewer bulk earthworks also reduced potential environmental risks on air quality, noise sensitive receptors and the use of carbon in the process.
Most Read
The green infrastructure statement submitted with the application also said that fewer bulk earthworks could also present opportunities to restore and deliver a "more interesting and naturally biodiverse landscape."
It said that many areas of the Ffos-y-Fran 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 said that wetland habitats had developed around the margins of ponds and watercourses, evidence of great crested newts had been recorded (in 2024) in over half the ponds on site, southern marsh orchids had colonised in some of the wetland and peregrine falcons had been seen flying over the site.
It 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 statement said: "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 approved scheme does not align well with new approaches to nature conservation or national planning policies. To implement the approved scheme would see the destruction of waterbodies and wetland habitat that developed on the site during the operating period and that now support nature recovery with minimal interventions.
"The footprint of the final restoration strategy is significantly less than the approved scheme with just over an eighth of the overall site being affected by most of the earthworks needed for the restoration. This can be delivered in works packages at the most appropriate times of year and due to its seasonal nature is a more flexible approach than a bulk earthworks programme associated with previous land reclamation projects such as would be required by the original approved scheme.
Don’t miss
"The alternative final restoration strategy aligns well with the Step-Wise approach advocated in Planning Policy Wales (12th Edition) by avoiding and minimising potential loss and damage to elements of biodiversity while promoting opportunities for mitigation."
It added that the alternative restoration scheme has many environmental merits and can offer and deliver substantial environmental benefits when compared to the approved scheme.