"Disappointment" at opencast decision

12.08.42pm GMT Mon 27th Nov 2006

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Michael German has expressed his disappointment at the news that the Court of Appeal has given the go-ahead to a massive mining project in Merthyr Tydfil.

The decision effectively give the green-light to plans to extract 10 million tonnes of coal from the Ffos-y-Fran site over the next 17 years. Local residents have been campaigning to get the plans thrown out, or at least get a 500 metre buffer zone put in place. A buffer zone would mean that the working face of the opencast would need to be at least 500 metres from the nearest property. In the case of Ffos-y-Fran this distance will be just 37 metres.

Lib Dem AM Mike German, who has backed the residents' campaign commented; "I have said all along that the people of Merthyr Tydfil deserve better. They deserve better protection from the adverse effects of coal dust and they deserve better protection from the noise pollution associated with opencast mining.

"It would appear that the judges in London disagree.

"The High Court Appeal may have been granted but that doesn't mean that this is the end of the road for the protesters. There is always the possibility of an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The protest group knows that they have my full support. In the meantime I will be continuing to campaign for a 500-metre buffer zone around all opencast mining sites in Wales."

Amy Kitcher, who lives in Twynyrodyn - the community closest the proposed opencast site said; "This is a travesty. The London judges who made this ruling won't have to put up with the noise and dust created by the opencast. We deserve to be protected from noise, dust and vibration problems, not to be simply left at the mercy of mining companies."