QUARRY JOBS HOPE
Site re-opens after more than 30 years
A QUARRY that was last working more than 30 years ago has been re-opened, creating job opportunities.
Bwlch Gwyn Quarry, near Gaerwen on Anglesey, was last extracted in the early 1980s.
Apart from being used sparingly as a storage area, it has remained mothballed for three decades.
But now, thanks to a new threeman start-up, with more than a century of experience between them, local granite is once again being extracted.
Anglesey Aggregates has been set up by Terry Parry, Dafydd Roberts and Goronwy Jones-Parry, and already employs four full-time staff and another six haulier and crushing jobs across the 16-acre site.
But with several local developments in the pipeline, including Wylfa Newydd, they hope to be in a position to expand further over the coming years.
Terry Parry, of Waunfawr near Caernarfon, said: “Between the three of us, we’ve been in the trade for over 100 years, so it’s an industry we’re well aware of.
“Going into business for ourselves wasn’t something we’d really considered until Dafydd, who has grown up on Anglesey, told us that there was a quarry on the island that could be reopened.
“Since making some initial equiries to where we are now has been quite a rollercoaster. It has taken around eighteen months all in all.
“But to get to the stage we’re at now is very rewarding – definitely a case of so far so good.”
After crucial planning permission was approved by Anglesey Council planners last May, they were able to open a new access road – a key component of their plans.
According to Mr Parry, the re-opening of the quarry, which was first worked on in 1946, has been warmly welcomed in the local area.
“There are some big developments on the Horizon, such as Wylfa Newydd, which offers its own opportunities of course.
“Anglesey alone consumes around 400,000 tonnes of aggregates every year, and with the type of products we have here being particularly versatile, we hope this will offer more choice in that regard.
“We’d like to thank everyone who helped us get to this stage – too many of them to mention to be honest.
He added: “We’ve tried to work closely with the local community and taken measures to mitigate any problems it could have caused.
“For example, with the wagons coming in and out, there’s a one-way system so that local residents are not unduly disrupted.
“Thankfully, I think most people are happy to see the tradition continuing once again, employing local lads.
“We’ve also had good feedback from local companies who have welcomed more competition in this area, during what will be quite a busy period in terms of construction.”