Firm loses appeal for opencast mine
CONTROVERSIAL plans to build an opencast mine in the Rhymney Valley have been rejected after a planning appeal.
Thousands of people opposed the plans for the 1,180-acre mine in Nant Llesg, north of Fochriw and west of Rhymney, when they were mooted.
In August 2015, Caerphilly councillors rejected the application by Miller Argent to build the mine, but the company later announced it would appeal the decision.
The firm said it would create up to 239 jobs.
The Welsh Government’s Planning Inspectorate has now dismissed the appeal.
The planning appeals process is designed for anyone who has applied to their council or national park authority for planning permission, but is unhappy with the resulting decision.
Friends of the Earth Cymru called the decision a “historic victory”.
A letter from the Planning Inspectorate dated September 18 said the appeal was dismissed as Miller Argent had not provided further information requested by the government body.
The letter states the information was requested in March 2016 and had to be provided by September 6, 2018.
It said: “Accordingly, as a complete ES [environmental statement] has not been submitted, nor a realistic timetable for the submission of your further information by the deadline, the appeal will now be closed and no further action will be taken with it.”
Haf Elgar, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said: “This is a historic victory for everyone who worked so tirelessly to save Nant Llesg from an opencast coal mine, and the culmination of years of campaigning by the local community.
“We can’t go on digging up more and more coal – the local impacts are devastating and the global effects are terrifying. Fossil fuels must be left in the ground if we’re to avoid catastrophic climate change.
“Old King Coal has had his day in Wales – and this marks the end of new opencast coal mines.”
Another letter from the Planning Inspectorate dated August 9 said it had not received any further communication from Miller Argent since October 9, 2017.
As part of the appeal process, Miller Argent also submitted plans which would see miles of fencing erected around the site and footpaths over common heath land closed off. But around 9,000 people objected to the proposals to fence off the area.
In 2015, despite the recommendation to give the plans the green light, councillors voted to reject them on the grounds of visual impact.
Campaigners left the council chamber in Ystrad Mynach singing the Welsh national anthem after the proposals for six million tonnes of coal to be mined over an estimated period of 14 years were rejected.
It followed previous protests where a mocked-up courtroom trial was held by protesters fighting to stop the plans.