Ministers pledge review of quarry blasting rules

Support quality, independent local news Help fund public-interest journalism in Caerphilly County Borough from just £1 a month and enjoy an advert-free website experience. Become a member today →

The Welsh Government will review quarry planning rules after a summer blast at Taff’s Well flooded 13 homes in a Cardiff village.

Housing and planning minister Siân Gwenllian promised a call for evidence on whether an overhaul for the current policy, dating from 2004 and known as Minerals Technical Advice Note 1 (MTAN 1), was needed.

The move follows a Senedd debate on Wednesday November 11 led by Plaid Cymru MS for Caerdydd Penarth, Kiera Marshall, who warned that residents in Gwaelod y Garth have been left “living in fear”.

Get Caerphilly's top stories free in your inbox at 6pm every weekday.

Free. Unsubscribe at any time. Privacy policy

Homes in the village were flooded with up to five feet of water following a planned blast at the neighbouring quarry this summer, forcing 13 households to evacuate.

Ms Marshall told the Siambr that one uninsured family lost everything just two weeks after moving to the village, while an older couple “sat in their living room in ankle-deep water, in the cold, in candlelight with no electricity”.

Calling for quarry blasting rules to be “urgently reviewed”, she questioned the effectiveness of MTAN 1 in protecting communities and labelled it “completely out of date”.

Ms Marshall said this was not about opposing quarrying but “ensuring that industry operates safely alongside the communities that have to live with it”.

She urged ministers to examine whether minimum buffer zones between homes and blast sites are wide enough, and to ensure individual local geography and public health impacts are properly weighed in planning decisions.

Welsh Labour MS for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, Vikki Howells, raised similar concerns about Craig-yr-Hesg quarry, which sits next to the village of Glyncoch.

Although current guidance recommends a minimum 200-metre buffer between quarries and housing, Ms Howells said the quarry has “crept closer and closer to people’s homes”.

She continued: “The latest expansion granted in 2022 brought the working area within 142m of many houses, and just 109m from the nearest property. There was even a primary school, at that point, just 164m away.”

Ms Howells also told members dust was a “major issue” for those who live near quarry sites with chronic lung conditions.

A system was needed, she said, that is “robust” and “flexible enough to deliver the outcomes that we need and ensure that each individual community is at the heart of that decision-making process.”

However, Welsh Conservative enterprise spokesperson Janet Finch-Saunders urged caution over tightening restrictions on an industry that contributes £700 million to the Welsh economy and employs 3,800 people, many from rural areas.

Although she recognised the importance of protecting communities, Ms Finch-Saunders said the “positive impact” quarrying has had on Wales’ local and national economies must not be overlooked.

While accepting a reduction of the 200m buffer zone would worry her, the “right balance” needed to be struck. Quarry operators, she said, already have legal duties to monitor and manage dust emissions.

Responding for the Welsh Government, Ms Gwenllian said she could not comment on specific quarries to avoid prejudicing ministers’ legal role in future planning decisions.

She said a formal call for evidence would test whether national guidance needs changing without requiring a new law, though she noted any updated rules would only apply to new quarries or future extensions rather than existing operations.

The motion was passed with 55 votes in favour, 13 against, and 19 abstentions.

Join 1,500+ residents who get the borough's top stories, local events and updates in their inbox at 6pm every weekday, for free.