CCBC seeks Welsh Government support to tackle contaminated quarry site
Posted on : 20 Jul 2023
The Leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has asked the First Minister to intervene in helping to address historic issues associated with chemical waste deposited in the late 1960s at the Ty Llwyd quarry site near Ynysddu.
Cllr Sean Morgan has written to Mark Drakeford this week (Wed 19 July) following a recent decision at a council meeting to make a formal approach for support.
In his correspondence to the First Minister, Cllr Morgan writes, “My Council continues to manage the legacy of the former Ty Llwyd quarry above the community of Ynysddu.
Environmental Health Officers continue to work with their colleagues from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in developing an effective plan to manage leachate emanating from the site to the satisfaction of NRW. The challenge of managing the leachate is a seasonal issue which has been exacerbated by our changing climate and resultant periods of substantial rainfall during the winter months.
The profile of the site together with the associated legacy issues, has been raised significantly over the last 12 months and a Notice of Motion was presented to full Council on 4th July by the two local independent members representing the Ynysddu ward. The Notice of Motion was fully supported by the Council, which requested I seek your assistance and intervention in the following way.
The Notice of Motion stated that “the Leader of Council write to the Welsh Government requesting support for an independent public inquiry and to investigate and facilitate funding within the Environmental Protection Act Part 2A”.
My officers recently met with a number of your officials from the Environmental Quality Division on the 4th July and fully appraised them of the current position together with details of the further proposed planned works to be undertaken by my officers and NRW.
I would therefore appreciate your response to the request for support and assistance as detailed in the above Notice of Motion. However, in the meantime I am happy to discuss the matter with the relevant Minister and officials if you require any further details.”
Cllr Morgan has pledged to keep the community informed and updated about the subsequent response from Welsh Government.