Court rejects mine appeal: Campaigners hope coal plan is 'dead and buried'
CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating after Celtic Energy failed in its last-ditch attempt to extend an opencast mine said to have ruined a Port Talbot village.
Celtic said the extension at the Margam site at Pen y Bryn would have created 200 jobs.
But that was not enough to sway both Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend councils, the Assembly and, now, the High Court.
"People are smiling in Pen y Bryn," said Margam councillor Stan Mason, who along with Aberavon MP Hywel Francis and AM Brian Gibbons, has supported the villagers in their long fight.
"Over the years that opencast mine has ruined the village, but now people can take their horses out with no problem, there is no dust and no noise — it's marvellous up there," he added.
"People have been fighting for this for years and now Celtic has a lot of work to do to tidy the site up. It's like a lost world."
In May 2007, Celtic Energy submitted a planning application to Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot councils to extend operations at Margam for a further fiveand-a-half years.
The application was refused by the planning authorities in January 2008. Celtic's subsequent appeal resulted in a public inquiry that took place in February last year.
Then, last November, AMs announced they were rejecting the appeal.
But no sooner had villagers celebrated victory than they discovered that Celtic was planning to apply to the High Court to challenge the appeal decision.
The challenge was brought on legal grounds relating to the conclusions reached by the inspector who held the inquiry into the planning appeals on a number of issues.
Following a hearing held in Swansea last week, the High Court dismissed the challenge on all grounds.
An Assembly spokesman said: "Challenges to the High Court may be made on points of law only, such as the Minister took into consideration an issue that was not relevant to the case or failed to take into account an issue that was relevant.
"The planning merits of the case are not open to reconsideration."
Councillor Mason said: "Hopefully this entire matter is now dead and buried. I cannot see where Celtic can go with it.
"Village life can now finally return to how it used to be."
paul.lewis@swwmedia.co.uk
2 Comments
by C.Jones, Coed Hirwaun,Margam
Thursday, August 05 2010, 9:32PM
“Opencast work is not permanent. Workers move from site to site.
It has been proved that the number of jobs at this site are nearer to 60 than the 200 claimed by the company. Nearly all workers have been given work elsewhere and a few decided on retirement.
We have councils,politicians,courts and lawyers to decide which is the right decision to make.All bodies have agreed that this Planning Application was unjust and unacceptable. In this last instance the High Court Judge dismissed the challenge by Celtic Energy on all grounds and stated that "The planning merits of the case are not open to reconsideration."
His decision says it all!”
by Andrew, Veliko Turnovo , Bulgaria
Monday, August 02 2010, 12:45PM
“It is always sad to lose 200 jobs , I know Margam very well , but has'nt the steel works ruined the area , but never mind once the new proposed power plant takes off at Baglan bay area , but then that area was ruined by B.P. . or is it a case from Margam ...not in my back yard [ NIMBY ] .If anyone writes in and says why dont I have it over here .. well to be honest 200 jobs in this area ... hands would be snapped off .”