**New Public Body to be Established for Coal Tip Safety in Wales Amid Growing Concerns**
A significant step has been taken towards improving the safety of communities living near disused coal tips in Wales, as a new law establishing a dedicated public body has received unanimous support in the Senedd. The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill aims to modernise regulations dating back to the 1960s, introducing a comprehensive legal framework to better manage and monitor coal tips across the country.
Concerns surrounding the state of Wales’ coal tips resurfaced after a major landslide at a disused site in Tylorstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in February 2020. The incident highlighted a lack of clear responsibility and categorisation for the country’s 2,573 coal tips, prompting the Welsh Government to initiate a widespread review of tip safety. Subsequent inspections revealed that 360 sites were rated as being within the most serious risk categories, requiring urgent attention.
Public anxiety was further heightened by another slip in November 2024, during which heavy rainfall from Storm Bert caused a coal tip in Cwmtilliery, Blaenau Gwent, to fail. The resulting flow of debris and slurry forced the evacuation of 40 homes, underlining the real dangers posed by unstable tips during severe weather events.
In response, the Welsh Government drafted and presented new legislation in the Senedd to strengthen safety measures. The cornerstone of the new law is the creation of the Disused Tips Authority for Wales, a statutory body charged with the mission to “ensure that disused tips do not threaten human welfare by reason of their instability.” Scheduled to be operational from 1 April 2027, the Authority will be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date register of high-risk sites and overseeing monitoring programmes.
Nevertheless, scrutiny of the Bill has revealed several concerns. While the Authority will have the mandate to monitor disused tips, critics note the lack of detail regarding the frequency and nature of inspections. As it stands, the register will only list those tips the Authority deems a potential threat, leaving unclassified sites excluded, drawing questions over the scope and transparency of the oversight.
The Senedd’s Climate Change Committee has advocated for a more inclusive register, recommending that all assessed sites be recorded, even if deemed low risk. The Committee further voiced concerns over the absence of statutory management plans for some tips, which could be crucial for long-term safety. Some stakeholders have also raised fears that new regulations could result in unintended consequences. If property owners are asked to fund expensive remediation work, there is a risk private companies might propose extracting and selling “waste coal” as a means to recover costs, potentially leading to renewed mining activity at old sites. Wales’ Climate Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, has moved to dismiss these concerns, assuring that the new Bill contains safeguards.
Mr Irranca-Davies, addressing the Senedd, emphasised that the legislation provides “significant improvements” over the existing framework in the Mines And Quarries (Tips) Act 1969. He highlighted the Authority’s increased powers of intervention and access to land, as well as the establishment of a formal register for categorised disused tips, which forms the basis for future risk management.
Despite agreement on the pressing need for reform, concerns linger about the detail and transparency of the proposals. Llyr Gruffydd, Chair of the Climate Change Committee, noted that more than half the Committee’s recommendations focus on ensuring the new regime is “robust, effective, and instils public confidence.” He criticised the decision to leave much of the operational detail to future policy guidance, stating this weakens democratic accountability and blurs the Government’s intentions for the new framework.
Mike Hedges, chair of the relevant legislation committee, echoed these apprehensions, deeming the dependency on guidance “inappropriate” and calling for more detail to be included directly within the legislation or through subsequent regulations. Meanwhile, Peredur Owen Griffiths of the Finance Committee raised questions about the funding model and staffing requirements, warning that limited budgets could mean potentially vital work is carried out on a “first come, first served” basis, potentially disadvantaging those facing the greatest risk.
As Wales embarks on this legislative shift, the formation of the Disused Tips Authority marks a crucial move towards protecting communities and responding to climate-driven risks. Nevertheless, as the operational details await clarification and further debate, the coming years will be key in determining whether this new legal framework can deliver the robust safeguards that many believe are urgently needed.