Nant Llesg Addendum to Planning Statement Surface Mine Incorporating Land Remediation

Addendum to Planning Statement

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Consultant Experts Acting for the Applicant

Chapter 3 Structure of Applicant’s Response to Post Application Representations

Chapter 4 Representations of a General Nature

Chapter 5 Social Impact Assessment

Chapter 6 Recreation and Tourism

Chapter 7 Traffic and Transport

Chapter 8 Ecology and Nature Conservation

Chapter 9 Agricultural Land Use and Soils

Chapter 10 Hydrogeology

Chapter 11 Hydrogeology, Hydrology and Drainage

Chapter 12 Air Quality and Dust

Chapter 13 Noise

Chapter 14 Blasting and Vibration

Chapter 15 Cultural Heritage

Chapter 16 Landscape and Visual Impact

Chapter 17 Waste

Chapter 18 Health and Wellbeing

Chapter 19 Sustainability and Climate Change

Chapter 20 Need for the Coal

Chapter 21 Planning Policy

1 Chapter

Nant Llesg Surface Mine Incorporating Land Remediation

Chapter 1 Introduction

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Nant Llesg Surface Mine

Incorporating Land Remediation

Addendum to Planning Statement

Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations Chapter 1 – Introduction

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Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

Table of Contents

Page

Introduction 1

Miller Argent (South ) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

1 Introduction

th 1.1 On the 10 October 2013, Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited (‘Miller Argent’) of Cwmbargoed Disposal Point, Road, Cwmbargoed, Merthyr Tydfil CF48 4AE (“the Applicant”) applied for full planning permission for the ‘Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation’ on land west of in the County Borough of . The application was accompanied by an Environmental Statement.

1.2 An addendum to the Environmental Statement and Errata were submitted to the Planning Authority on 9th January 2014.

1.3 In response to the statutory and non-statutory post-application consultations carried out by Caerphilly County Borough Council (“the Planning Authority”), a large number of representations have been submitted to the Planning Authority. These have been copied to the Applicant upon request.

1.4 At the time of preparing this response, the Planning Authority’s consideration of the application is on-going. As part of the determination process, the Planning Authority has raised certain queries and requests for additional information from the Applicant to clarify the proposal. Other representations have been submitted to the Planning Authority by statutory and non-statutory consultees, other bodies, other organisations and individuals.

1.5 This document, its appendices and attached drawings constitute the Applicant’s composite response to those queries and representations. Should subsequent queries and/or representations arise, they will be responded to separately, if required.

Publication of the Applicant’s Response

1.6 Submission of this composite response to the Planning Authority as an Addendum to the Planning Statement, together with the related Second Addendum to the Environmental Statement and Second Errata, has been publicised by the Applicant under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Wales) Order 2012 and the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999, as amended in Wales (“the EIA Regulations”). Publications have been placed in the Western Mail, Rhymney Express and Merthyr Express to coincide with their submission to the local planning authority. These publications by the Applicant are separate to those to be subsequently made by Caerphilly County Borough Council on receipt of the addenda.

Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Chapter 1 Page 1 of 1

Nant Llesg 2 Surface Mine Chapter Incorporating Land Remediation

Chapter 2 Consultant Experts Acting for the Applicant

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Nant Llesg Surface Mine

Incorporating Land Remediation

Addendum to Planning Statement

Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations Chapter 2 – Consultant Experts acting for the Applicant

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Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

Table of Contents

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Consultant Experts acting for the Applicant 1

Tables

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Table PSA1.1 List of Consultant Experts 1

Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

2 Consultant Experts Acting for the Applicant

1.1 The response on behalf of the Applicant incorporates input from its consultant experts. Where appropriate, responses on the topics listed in the following Table PSA1.1 have been largely prepared by, or incorporate input and advice from, the expert consultant indicated:

Table PSA1.1 List of Consultant Experts

Topic Consultant Address

Socio Economics Russell Porter Peter Brett Associates LLP 10 Queen Square Bristol BS1 4NT

Tom Dearing RPS 6-7 Lovers Walk Brighton East Sussex BN1 6AH

Gavin C. Wright GW Regulatory Affairs Services Limited

Adam M. Slater Quality Options Limited

Recreation and Tourism Eunice Stephenson RPS 20 Western Avenue Milton Park Abington Oxfordshire OX14 4SH

Traffic and Transport Paul Goodenough Mott MacDonald Group Integrated Transport Division Fitzalan House Fitzalan Road Cardiff CF24 0EL

Ecology and Nature Conservation Dr Keith Jones RPS 20 Western Avenue Milton Park Abington Oxfordshire OX14 4SH

Agricultural Land Use and Soils Julia Tindale RPS 20 Western Avenue Milton Park Abington Oxfordshire OX14 4SH

Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited Leek & Weston Ltd – Planning Agent

Chapter 2 Page 1 of 3

Nant Llesg Surface Mine, Incorporating Land Remediation Addendum to Planning Statement - Applicant’s Response to Post-Application Representations

Topic Consultant Address

Hydrogeology Dr Shaun Salmon AMEC Environment & Infrastructure UK Ltd Partnership House Regents Farm Road Gosforth Newcastle Upon Tyne NE3 3AF

Hydrology and Drainage Dr Richard Breakspear AMEC Environment & Infrastructure UK Ltd 155 Aztec West Park Avenue Almondsbury Bristol BS32 4UB

Air Quality and Dust Dr Claire Holman Brook Cottage Consultants Brook Cottage Elberton Bristol BS35 4AQ

Noise Colin English Sustainable Acoustics 5 Charlecote Mews Staple Gardens Winchester Hampshire S023 8SR

Blasting and Vibration Bill Birch Blastlog Ltd Upton House Market Street Charlbury Oxford OX7 3PJ

Cultural Heritage Richard Hughes IHCM, 45 Crescent Lane London SW4 9PT

Landscape and Visual Impact Mar