Welsh quarries should not damage people or wildlife

Growing up in Cwm Gwendraeth in Carmarthenshire, quarries were familiar sights in the hills surrounding the villages. And right across Wales our landscape has been cut away and shaped by quarrying over hundreds of years as industries dug through our land to extract stone, slate and precious minerals.  

But quarries aren’t a thing of the past. The industry is still very much alive in Wales. In 2022 around 185million tonnes of minerals were extracted from UK landscapes. 

Impacts

The dust and pollution caused by blasting and cutting rock are dangerous to our health. Research shows that people living near quarries are more likely to suffer from shortness of breath, coughs, allergies and eye problems like dryness, soreness or tearing.

People living close to quarries also report of cracks in their homes and disturbance from the loud blasts from the explosives used in quarrying.

Quarrying also poses significant threats to wildlife by destroying habitats and contaminating food and water sources.
 

Community fight

Of course, minerals and stone are needed for building homes, building new infrastructure etc. but extracting them must be done in a sustainable way that protects communities and nature – and that isn’t happening.  

Communities across Wales are fighting dangerous quarrying in their villages and towns, and struggling to protect their health, wellbeing and local wildlife from the pollution and damage caused by this industry.

Craig Yr Hesg, Pontypridd

Residents in Pontypridd have been relentlessly campaigning to protect their homes and local school from the expansion of Craig Yr Hesg quarry.

The plans for expanding the quarry were originally rejected by Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, but following an appeal the company, Heidelberg, was given permission to expand in 2022 by the then Climate Change Minister, Julie James.

The community has already endured the health and wellbeing impacts of the dust and noise from blasting for years, but the approved expansion means that the quarry will now come within 200 meters of homes on the Glyncoch estate, and another 10million tonnes of stone will be extracted. The community will have to live with the impact of quarrying until 2047.

Denbigh Quarry, Denbighshire

Campaigners in Denbigh are fighting against the proposed expansion of Denbigh Quarry which will see ancient trees being felled and public footpaths being re-routed for the land to the mined.

The quarrying company, Breedon PLC, had originally promised to restore the quarry by 2028 but they are now seeking to extend their extraction by 20 years. The new boundary will mean that people's homes will be within 90 meters of quarrying!

Breedon’s application to extend the quarry was rejected by Denbighshire County Council in January 2024, but the company is currently appealing this decision with PEDW meaning the community's fight to protect their homes and nature continues. 

Cilyrychen, Carmarthenshire

Residents in Llandybie, Carmarthenshire, (who have also been campaigning against the expansion of the coal mine in the village), are protesting the creation of a new rubble and soil processing plant at Cilyrychen Quarry. Approximately 50,000 tonnes of materials will be transported to and from the quarry every year via HGVs.

It has been 20 years since the quarry has been operational and nature has started to recover with falcons, bats and dormice being spotted on the site, and the nearby Special Area of Conservation is home to Pantllyn Turlough, the only known turlough lake on UK mainland.

Despite a petition rejecting the proposal receiving 2000 signatures and Carmarthenshire Council receiving 147 objections to the planning application the proposal was approved at the end of November 2024.

A dangerous legacy

The shape of our landscape isn’t the only legacy of quarrying in Wales. Areas of our land are off limits for us to enjoy due to the dangerous nature of old quarries, from deep ponds to steep cliff faces to the risk of falling rocks made unstable through previous mining.

Old quarries have also been used as waste disposal sites over the decades leading to harmful chemicals leaching into our water and soil, such as the case with Ty Llwyd and Brofiscin Quarries (to name just a couple!) which become the dumping ground for Monsanto’s toxic PCB chemicals in the 60s and 70s.

Petition

Passionate campaigners brought a petition to the Senedd this month which had received more than 11,000 signatures that called on Welsh Government to introduce a 1,000 mandatory buffer zone for all new and existing quarries.

In October the Senedd considered a Member’s Legislative Proposal relating to the planning process for quarry development that would introduce a 1,000 meter buffer zone, require the risk to health, environment and biodiversity of quarrying to be assessed in the planning process, and ensure that the decision on quarrying applications be made only by the relevant government minister and with consideration to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

Unfortunately, the motion for debate was rejected by the Senedd with the Cabinet Secretary saying that the new legislation would not be appropriate as quarrying applications need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

What needs to change

The recent failure of the Senedd to get behind the idea of a ‘buffer zone’ and of incorporating safeguards into the planning processes are missed opportunities. Greater regulation of quarries is needed to protect people and the planet.

The expansion of this extractive industry needs to be considered in balance with people’s health, wellbeing and safety, and in the context of our global climate and nature emergencies.

Everyone in Wales deserves the right to live in a healthy and safe environment, and communities across the country are campaigning tirelessly to protect our health and wildlife.

A kinder and more sustainable approach to quarrying is overdue.