Wednesday, 3 April 2024

Angry protestors at Pontypridd quarry extension draw ‘heavy police presence’


We posted about Craig yr Hesg Quarry, at Glyncoch near Pontypridd, back in 2020, when Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council originally rejected Hanson’s plans for a 10 million tonne extension. We edited the post in 2022 when the appeal was allowed.

An article by Ben Gosling in The Planner: The Appeals Annex: A tale of two quarries compared the Craig yr Hesg appeal decision with the one for Chard Junction Quarry in Dorset: 
The inspector in the Craig yr Hesg Quarry appeal accepted that the quarry caused stress and anxiety to locals, but did not accept their evidence that blasting at the quarry caused damage to their homes, because photos of cracks in walls were not supported by a structural survey. In Dorset, the inspector acknowledged that the quarry would cause noise disturbances to residents— after scrutinising a noise impact assessment provided by the appellant. 

Hard evidence is the key, but this can be an unaffordable option for residents and individuals. Heledd Fychan, Member of the Senedd Cymru for South Wales Central recognised this when the inspector’s decision was delivered: 
“Glyncoch is not an affluent area, and the planning inspectorate were critical of the fact that no hard evidence was presented to support their testimony, other than the images,” she said. “Collating such evidence is costly, meaning that communities will always struggle to have their voices and views heard as part of an appeal process without the means to do so. 

She continues: “Their testimony was powerful, and included pictures of cracks that have appeared in their homes which they believe have been caused by powerful blasts at the quarry, clouds of dust above the site, thick dust covering outside tables and cars, and evidence on how the lorries from the quarry are impacting their lives. 

“I find it disappointing that the views of local residents have been completely disregarded in relation to the quarry. Economic drivers and a need for the aggregate have trumped their views, meaning that they will have to continue to suffer the impact of the quarry. A quarry that they have had to live with for decades, and a quarry they were told would close when the last application prior to this was made to extend its life.” 
Last month, work started to erect a new security fence around the newly permitted extension.

This week, angry residents protested at the site drawing "a heavy police presence", as these articles from the BBC, Nation.Cymru and WalesOnline explain: 
Protestors have been gathering near the site of the quarry this week, with dozens joining for a second day of action on Tuesday, March 26. Residents say they are worried about the quarry's impact on their health from silica dust and the proximity to houses and public amenities like schools. They also believe it could disrupt wildlife and cause traffic issues, as well as impacting public rights of way. 

Heidelberg Materials UK has said it has addressed wildlife concerns and that "strict restrictons" on blasting and air quality monitoring were in place as well as other measures to mitigate any negative impact on residents. 

On Tuesday around 40 people gathered near the fence by the quarry site and there was a heavy police presence in the area. Dr Andrew Thomas, a university lecturer in Cardiff, was one of those protesting and said: “It’s fairly peaceful. There are about 40 or 50 of us, families, adults, children. About the same number of police and enforcement officers, about 30 of them. There is a bit of a standoff, but there is no pushing or shoving. 

Dr Thomas said the Welsh Government's decision to permit expansion for 29 years after RCT council rejected the plans was "scandalous", adding that it will leave the site within touching distance of residents' gardens in Glyncoch. 

"It’s been contained behind the mountain but the big controversy here is that this new land was used as a public right of way. So you have a working class community which is about 2,000 people who are literally 100 metres from the site, the legal distance from a quarry in the UK. There is a primary school which is 200m away too. 

"This is encroaching into their back garden. This is totally NIMBY because it is literally in their back garden. It is literally two rugby pitches away. 

"They’re impacted by blasting, which is felt right into their properties at least once a week. They’re also impacted by lorries going to and fro - it is a road which is only really fit for residential driving, not lorries. Their worry is how they are going to move the lorries into and from the new site. It’s a lot of unknowns and as soon as you have that you impact mental health. 

"I think once the dust starts blowing over and they are exposed to silica particles in their lungs… They’ve also lost a green space they were very sentimental about, their children’s upbringing playing in the woods is gone. 

"It blocks off access to parts of the countryside and it hasn’t been made clear how public rights of way will be protected. Nothing has been communicated. 

"I cannot believe this has been signed because it goes against everything the Welsh Government claims to support. It’s so sad. And there is no reason for it to have been done it this way. You can’t stop the planning but you can slow them down doing what they want to do. We don’t believe they care." 
None of this, the blasting, the cracks, the noise, the dust, the health fears, for decades more, would have cut any slack with Mr Kimblin KC – the barrister representing Hanson at the public inquiry, and the subject of this post. In fact, at the Inquiry, he even argued that the refusal by Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC was "perverse" and "unreasonable" and that the Council – a cash-strapped Council "in one of the most deprived areas of Wales" – should pay Hanson’s, now rebranded Heidelberg Materials, appeal costs, a request that was upheld. 

That’s hardly the way to endear yourself to a community facing decades more quarrying.
 
EDIT 5.5.24
What Heidelberg fails to acknowledge is the profound, immeasurable significance of Craig yr Hesg to the people who hold it dear. For them, it represents more than a geological feature with easy access to mineral wealth. It embodies a collective treasure steeped in shared memories and cultural heritage. Heidelberg Materials fails to understand the ancient and deep-rooted relationship between the Welsh people, their language, and the landscape. What’s left of it.
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