Minerals

Merthyr Tydfil has a long history of mineral exploitation based on the extensive coal measures and outcrops of sandstone and limestone within the local area. Whilst the extent of mineral extraction has diminished over recent times, there remains one active open cast coal mine at Ffos-y-Fran and two aggregate quarries extracting sandstone and limestone at Gelligaer and Vaynor respectively.

Local minerals planning policy is contained within the Local Development Plan (LDP) which seeks to facilitate the provision of mineral resources to meet society’s needs whilst providing appropriate protection for the natural and built environment. Three separate aspects of minerals policy are addressed in the LDP: the safeguarding of both energy and non-energy mineral resources (Policy BW10: Mineral safeguarding); proposals for new mineral extraction (Policy TB8: Minerals proposals); and proposals for development within established mineral buffer zones (Policy TB9: Mineral buffer zones). The safeguarded mineral resources and the current active mineral sites with associated buffer zones are shown on the LDP Proposals Map.

Both the LDP Written Statement and Proposal Map can be accessed via the following links:-

LDP ADOPTED PLAN - MAY 2011
Proposals Map 1 - Northern West-Small
Proposals Map 2 - Northern East-Small
Proposals Map 3 - Southern West-Small
Proposals Map 4 - Southern East-Small