TORFAEN AM Lynne Neagle says Welsh Government requires ‘breathing space’ to carry out an industry-wide review into opencast mining.

During a debate in the National Assembly today, Ms Neagle is set to call for a moratorium – delay or suspension – on current and future applications for opencast in Wales while the Welsh Government leads a wide ranging review into the whole industry.

She has been fighting against plans to develop an opencast mine on Varteg Hill in her constituency, plans which are now back on the table, despite having been previously rejected, first by the local authority in Torfaen, and then by the Welsh Government after a full planning inquiry was held.

Ms Neagle will also call for the MTAN 2 guidance, which says a 500m buffer zone should exist between opencast sites and nearby settlements, to be strengthened.

The boundary of the site proposed for opencast in Varteg is less than 100m from nearby houses and a local primary school.

Her calls come amidst a wider public debate on the state of the opencast industry in Wales.

Ms Neagle said: “I’m very pleased to have this opportunity to once again raise the plight of my constituents in Varteg, who’ve had the threat of this development hanging over their head for years.

“I believe we now need a moratorium on all new opencast developments – as well a pause for applications currently in the planning system – so the Welsh Government have the breathing space they need to lead a strategic and wide ranging review into the entire industry.”