'First-of-its-kind' disused tips bill passed by Senedd

A BILL to protect Wales' former mining communities from the danger of disused coal tips has been passed by the Senedd.

- RUTH MOSALSKI Political editor [e-mail]

The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill is the first legislation of its kind in the UK and will create a new authority designed to address safety concerns.

It will have powers to ensure disused coal and non-coal tips no longer pose a threat to communities and set up an assessment, registration, monitoring and management system for all disused tips.

There are 2,573 disused coal tips in Wales and an estimated 20,000 other disused tips in Wales.

A chairman and chief executive of the new authority will be appointed before it is formally established on April 1, 2027.

Concerns had been raised about a lack of detail as this new law made its way through the parliamentary scrutiny process.

Under the proposals, the register of disused tips will only contain those tips that in the authority's view are a threat, or a potential threat, to human welfare by reason of instability.

The climate change committee called for the register to also include those disused tips that have been assessed but not categorised.

There is also a lack of statutory management plans for tips.