Meetings

Heledd Fychan MS declared a relevant interest in accordance with Standing Order 17.24A – She has been involved with these petitions and has met with the petitioners.

Members debated whether further action should be taken by the Committee, given that the matter has already been debated in the chamber, and further questions raised.

Members decided to write to the Cabinet Secretary and seek a meeting – inviting other interested MSs – to establish exactly  what information is needed for a review of MTAN 1, which was written before the Well-being of Future Generations Act came in to force.

Members agreed to note the issues raised by the petition in their legacy reporting. 

Members noted the strength of feeling on the issue and the unhappiness about the Cabinet Secretary’s response to the debate. After discussion the Committee agreed a final step before closing the petition. It was agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning to seek clarity on what evidence would be needed in order to review the relevant Technical Advice Note, MTAN1, as Members had already been provided with much audio, photographic and other physical evidence relating to the quarry. It was also noted that other mothballed quarries  in Wales could become active again in the future and so it was a national issue. The petition would remain open pending that response.

NDM8910 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)

To propose that the Senedd:

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1476 1000 meter mandatory buffer zone for all new and existing quarries’ which received 11,473 signatures.

The item started at 15.16

NDM8910 Carolyn Thomas (North Wales)   

To propose that the Senedd:  

Notes the petition ‘P-06-1476 1000 meter mandatory buffer zone for all new and existing quarries’ which received 11,473 signatures.  

The motion was agreed, in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The Committee agreed to write to the Business Committee and ask for the petition to be debated, highlighting how important it would be to have the debate sooner rather than later, and noting that new information was now available following Heledd Fychan’s Debate on a Member’s Legislative Proposal - A Bill relating to planning processes for quarry developments, held on 16 October 2024.

The Committee discussed the petition at length, having met the petitioners to hear their concerns first-hand.

It was noted that the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Public Health Wales, the Local Health Board and the Health and Safety Executive were aware of the issues for local people’s health and wellbeing, in particular local children, some of whom were involved in the petition and local campaign.

The Committee agreed to write a strong letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning seeking a more detailed response to the specific issues raised by the petition and in the 16 October debate on Heledd Fychan’s Member’s Legislative Proposal for a Bill relating to planning processes for quarry development. This would include asking what has been done to address the issues raised when the application was rejected, and confirming whether the Cabinet Secretary will be reviewing the guidance in both PPW and MTAN1, and if so what the timeframe is for that work.

The Committee also agreed to write to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council for more information about the specific issues relating to the Craig Yr Hesg quarry and what actions it was taking to deal with residents’ concerns – including how it is engaging with the operator and local communities in light of the expansion of operations, the status of the community liaison group, and the detail of all measures being taken to protect public health locally.

The Committee also agreed to write to the quarry owner, Heidelberg Materials, to ask what mitigation measures it is taking to address all the petitioners concerns and how it is engaging with them.

Members thanked the petitioners again for their persistence in raising this issue in the Senedd, and agreed to keep the petition open pending the responses.

Correspondence related to this petition would be copied to local Senedd Members for awareness, including all Members who raised issues during the 16 October debate.

Members noted that the petition had crossed the 10k threshold for consideration for a debate, but noted that a Member’s legislative proposal debate had been held on 16 October: the Committee agreed to defer a decision on requesting a debate until after it received responses to correspondence.