Former coal mine could become waste sorting depot
Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter
A former coal mine which operated for much of the 20th century could be partly redeveloped as a waste sorting depot under new plans.
The proposal would see an existing industrial building at the former Cae Glas Colliery, west of Fochriw, converted into the facility, according to an application submitted to Caerphilly County Borough Council.
Applicant Cae Glas Colliery Co Ltd wants to use the building to handle “non-hazardous household, commercial and industrial” waste.
Materials arriving at the depot would be sorted and separated before being transferred to authorised recycling, recovery or disposal sites, planning documents show.
The applicant has proposed opening the facility six days a week, with five full-time jobs expected to be created if permission is granted.
The site has a mining history stretching back more than a century, although coal was produced there intermittently.
Two parallel drifts were originally driven in 1920 as part of the Fochriw Colliery operations by Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd, reaching around 400ft below ground before the workings were abandoned in 1924.
The mine then lay unused for more than 30 years until the Shankland family reopened it as a small private colliery in 1955.
Three years later it was the scene of a tragedy when owner Idris Shankland and Wilfred and Charlie Hollister died underground on September 24, 1958.
The three men had entered old workings to check water levels when they were overcome by methane and black damp.
Despite the tragedy, Cae Glas continued as a small-scale operation for decades, working several seams including the Rhondda and Tyladu.
Its modest scale was reflected in figures from 1960, when just two or three men were employed and 2,226 tons of coal were produced.
Cae Glas Colliery Co Ltd took over the operation during the 1960s and mining eventually came to an end with the colliery’s final closure on December 6, 1997.
The application is currently out for consultation and can be viewed on Caerphilly County Borough Council’s planning website under reference 26/0546/COU.
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