No, it will not even be the biggest site in the UK. Confusion has arisen by the statement made that the area of land that is derelict is the largest of its type to be reclaimed in Western Europe. The Council has already won the Millennium Marque Award in 2000 for Environmental Management for the East Merthyr Land Reclamation Scheme and the completed project will be seen internationally as a flagship land restoration scheme.
Yes, there are many substantial and long lasting benefits to be gained from the reclamation. Approximately 1,000 acres of acutely derelict and dangerous land, as detailed in the Council's own local plan, will be made safe and returned to Urban Common at no cost to the public purse; the development of natural habitats; hundreds of new local jobs will be created and valuable skills will be provided through training and retraining the local workforce; about £67m (at 2006 prices) will be fed into the local economy from wages over the course of the project, which will be spent and re-spent in the local economy; even more income will come into the community from wages paid in support occupations; business rates and local sponsorships and a community fund in excess of £6 million to fund local projects. Miller Argent also propose to take the responsibility from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council for the relocation and treatment of three existing but defunct landfill dumps located on Ffos-y-fran that would have had to be dealt with whether or not the Ffos-y-fran Scheme was consented, at a cost in excess of £20m. More than £10m was provided for community projects by the first phases of the East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme and Miller Argent will take on the liability for the repayment of the outstanding debt in respect of the financing of the earlier phases of the East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme.
No, there will be no blasting most of the time any day and none at all on Sundays. There will be less than one minute of blasting in any week, made up of at most four very short blasts in any day (two on Saturday). You might hear a noise of less than a second, which sounds like a distant thud even when you are close. Miller Argent will employ the best new skills and technology to minimise the effect of blasting. In addition a substantial buffer zone of 300 metres between the site and any recognised residential dwelling, within which no blasting will take place, is also to be adopted.
Yes, because the dereliction and dangers extend right up to the site boundary. The site boundary along the A4060 (to the west) and the Bogey Road (to the south) is exactly the same for the Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme as it is for the scheme that was consented in 1988 - it is no closer. Where it has been possible we have drawn in the boundary to be further away from properties such as at the eastern boundary facing Fochriw.
The extensions to the site boundary are at the furthest most points from Merthyr town centre.
Phases I & II were much closer to a far greater number of residential properties and there were no major complaints arising from those works. In fact many local residents recognise these works as an astounding success and asset to the community.
No, excavations will start by digging an initial void into the ground and then progressing by excavating a series of subsequent strips (slices), progressively filling in the worked out void behind as we make the subsequent slices. Starting at the south end, the work will move away from the nearest houses as it goes north. Getting the coal out could be finished in just under a dozen years, and at most within fifteen years. We won't leave the site straight away, because there will up to two more years restoring the final void and several more looking after the land on completion of the restoration. The restoration to grassland will in fact begin as soon as six years from starting work in the southern part of the site.
There were no major problems during the first parts of the East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme, Incline Top and Great White Tip, and that reclamation has been a great success for the people of Merthyr. This final phase of the East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme will be even further away from most houses than the previous work. We will work to keep dust and noise down with mitigation measures to lessen the impact of the site works.
Most of the year the wind will not blow towards Merthyr, as it comes from the south west. To minimise the impact of any dust from the site, mitigation measures which will be implemented to suit the local requirements.
Miller Argent will install dust monitoring stations at strategic locations within the community to identify any errant dust thereby enabling them to take action before it becomes a problem.
No, most of the coal is to go out by rail from the railhead near the site. All the dump trucks stay within the site and coal lorries will only cross over the Bogey Road, to get to the railway line, adjacent to the Cwmbargoed Disposal Point. It is better for the environment and for the community to use rail.
An planning application to transport upto 100,000t of coal by road was made in February 2008 and an outcome is awaited.
Currently (September 2008), 200 people are employed on site and we estimate that up to a further 400 would be employed indirectly in support organisations. We know this from our experience working other sites. We will ensure that training programmes are introduced to enable most of the workforce to come from the local community.
No, it is an under estimate. Coal from Ffos-y-fran will be needed to help keep Aberthaw Power Station running and that station employs 244 local people direct, 65 resident contractors as well as 400 contractors during most summers. While Aberthaw carries on, there will still be a need for supplies from Celtic Energy and other local coal producers who together employ another 700. They in turn support an estimated further 1,050 indirect jobs, that is jobs that are created in local companies that are sub-contracted or that supply and service the company or the workforce. Along with Miller Argent's 200 direct and 400 indirect jobs, this gives a total of some 3,059 much needed and valuable jobs for the valleys of South Wales and a substantial contribution to the economy of the whole of Wales.
It now seems inevitable that the UK will suffer from energy shortages. Nuclear Power now provides only one fifth of UK power. Renewable sources of energy are still a minority contributor to the generation of electricity in the UK, although it is accepted that it is essential that renewables are given every opportunity to increase its share. Until alternative forms of energy are available there is still a key role for coal, which is still responsible for the production of approximately one third of the UK's power generation and even more during the winter months.
Quite simply because the land is in urgent need of reclamation. The land is officially classed as derelict and is in an unstable condition. The past mining and industrial activities on the land have left a legacy of unsightly, unproductive and unsafe land. The Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme addresses all three points and reverses them at no cost to the public purse.
Consent was given to the whole East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme in 1988; Phases I and II have been completed; why not just work the original Phase III scheme? The original Phase III plan would have meant destroying some important ecology and archaeology and would have gone against UK policy by preventing an additional 5 million tonnes of coal from ever being won. The scheme would have also failed to achieve the reclamation aims identified in the Local Plan. The new Ffos-y-fran plans have been approved and have been designed to rectify this deficiency. This enables the reclamation of all the derelict land at Ffos-y-fran identified in the Council's Local Plan, including the removal of over 46 known mine shafts and 39 known adits (mine entrances) from old coal and iron stone workings, while dealing carefully and responsibly with the ecology and archaeology to be found within parts of the site.
Research by Newcastle University, sponsored by the Government and accepted by the Committee On The Medical Effects Of Air Pollutants, reporting direct to Government Health Ministry in 1999, concluded that there is no evidence of a link between asthma and dust from opencast coal sites.
There is a natural concern but also a great deal of misinformation about the causes of asthma. All around the world, including the UK, asthma has been increasing dramatically over the past ten years or so, but during this same time there has been less and less opencast working in the UK. The truth of the situation is that there is no evidence whatsoever of a link between asthma and dust generated from opencast coal sites. Clinical Asthma is attributed to allergic factors such as house dust mites, pollen, exhaust fumes and smoking. Cold air, respiratory infection, aspirin, high sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide ambient levels and emotional factors may all have a role in triggering asthma in particular locations.
No - the company has voluntarily offered to accept a planning condition prohibiting bringing in landfill waste to the site. In addition, there is already a legal agreement in place with the Merthyr and Gelligaer Commoner's Association binding Miller Argent to return the land to Common when the work is finished. Miller Argent will also provide the local authority with full financial guarantees ensuring the site will, in all circumstances, be fully restored. Sadly Ffos-y-fran has in the past been used as a dumping ground for illegal tipping and burnt out stolen cars. When the site is reclaimed and the land restored, it can be cherished and enjoyed by all the people of Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding area.
No, the Government supports a balanced energy policy and plans for renewables (such as wind power) to achieve 20% of UK generation by 2020. Coal still has an essential role in this Government plan.
Onshore and offshore wind generation will play a future role in UK power generation, but it will not be sufficient to replace the need for power from coal.
Government statistics issued in July 2008 showed that wind power generated less than 0.5% of our generation requirement for the previous year.
Miller Argent does not oppose wind farms; indeed it supports the use of renewable energy, but it firmly believes that a proper perspective should be maintained when reporting on the contribution that wind power is currently making to the power generation in the UK. Coal is playing a vital part in delivering energy within a balanced energy policy within the UK.
The restoration of all 367 hectares of derelict land would cost in excess of £130m if no coal was extracted to pay for the works. However, even this would not adequately deal with the dangers posed by the existance of the high density of old shafts and adits and abandoned mine workings which can collapse without notice and are a real health and safety risk. The only way to deal with these properly is to dig them out, which can only be achieved by the Ffos-y-fran Land Reclamation Scheme. In any event, Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council could not afford to carry out these works nor could they get sufficient grant aid to do it. Additionally, in accordance with Government policy, it is a requirement to give positive consideration to the extraction of saleable minerals in order to off-set scheme costs.
As a result of the Phase I and II works of the East Merthyr Land Reclamation Scheme, properties are likely to have actually gained in value because of dereliction being removed and the land being reclaimed and landscaped. The planning consent for Phase III has existed since 1988 and applications for the larger reclamation scheme have been with the Council since 1994, so any valuation or legal search should have already taken this into account when valuing the surrounding land and properties. House values will inevitably increase in the long run as a result of the completed restoration.
367 hectares out of the 400.6 hectares are officially derelict land. While there is some wildlife and flora present, it is generally of a low quality. In addition, as the land is common, it is extensively grazed and agriculturally managed. However, areas of ecological interest have been discovered through the extensive surveys carried out and are to be preserved where possible or temporarily translocated, where appropriate. An ancient wooded valley has been withdrawn from the application because of its ecological value, even though it was to be filled in under previous applications. This site will be managed to preserve, create and promote suitable habitat for the ecology of the area. As the site is worked the land will be progressively restored and new habitat created.