#valeofneath — Public Fediverse posts

NEATH PORT TALBOT: Council leader welcomes £13.5m for two valley business parks — as first units already fill up

Two business parks in the Neath valley are set to share £13.5m of UK Government funding for new industrial units — and the council says demand is already there to fill them.

The money will support proposed developments at Nant y Cafn Business Park in Seven Sisters and Vale of Neath Business Park in Resolven, both subject to site purchases later this summer and planning approval.

Plans earmark a 45,000 sq ft development at Nant y Cafn and a 30,000 sq ft scheme at the Resolven site, aimed at small and medium-sized firms.

The funding was first announced last week as part of a wider UK programme targeting former coalfield communities.

Now the leader of Neath Port Talbot Council has welcomed the news, pointing to a recently completed phase at Nant y Cafn that has filled up fast.

Six industrial units there, funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, were completed earlier this year and are already fully occupied.

Councillor Steve Hunt said the investment was “very positive news” for the borough and its valley communities.

“Investment like this helps create new jobs, supports local businesses, and brings fresh opportunities into the area,” he said.

He said the strong take-up at Nant y Cafn showed the demand for high-quality industrial space in the area.

“This latest announcement will build on that success and bring further investment into our communities,” he added.

The council leader said such developments gave businesses room to grow and helped people find work closer to home.

The new units are intended to support both start-ups and expanding companies looking for space in the area.

The funding forms part of the UK Government’s Growth Mission Fund, with further support from the Coalfields Regeneration Trust.

The trust works to help former coalfield areas attract investment and create jobs, decades on from the collapse of the industry that built communities like Seven Sisters and Resolven.

Both new developments still depend on the council completing the site purchases and securing planning permission, expected to be worked through over the coming months.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Two Vale of Neath villages in line for new business units under £13.5m scheme
How the coalfield funding for Seven Sisters and Resolven was first announced.

Pontardawe metals firm opens £2.5m plant making parts for jet engines
Another sign of industrial investment in the wider Neath Port Talbot area.

MBE for the council chief now leading the Afan Valley’s £20m revival
The wider regeneration drive across the valley communities.

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COALFIELD CASH: Two Vale of Neath villages in line for new business units under £13.5m UK Government scheme

Two former mining villages in the Vale of Neath are set to get new business units, as part of a £13.5m UK Government scheme to bring jobs back to Britain’s former coalfield communities.

Resolven and Seven Sisters are among six locations across England, Scotland and Wales chosen to share the money, which will pay for new industrial developments to house small and medium-sized businesses.

The funding comes from the UK Government’s Growth Mission Fund, which will cover half the construction costs. The other half will be funded by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, a charity set up to create jobs and bring investment to former mining areas.

At Resolven, a 30,000 sq ft industrial development is proposed at the Vale of Neath Business Park.

At Seven Sisters, a larger 45,000 sq ft development is planned at Nant y Cafn Business Park.

There is, however, an important caveat for both Welsh sites. Unlike some of the other locations, the Resolven and Seven Sisters schemes are proposed only once the land has been purchased — expected later this summer — and planning permission has been secured.

That puts them a step behind the projects in Cowdenbeath in Fife and St Helens in Merseyside, where firm plans and job numbers have already been set out.

Across all six sites, the government says the developments will create hundreds of jobs and support thousands more, though it has not published individual job figures for the two Welsh sites.

The other locations sharing the funding are Thoresby in Nottinghamshire and Ashington in Northumberland.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said the money would help areas that had been “overlooked for decades.”

“Our investment in new industrial developments is one way we’re making it a stronger business destination where jobs and opportunity are created, not wasted,” she said.

“If you are an entrepreneur in a former coalfield area wanting to start your own business — or are already a business owner there wanting to expand your company — we are backing you.”

Andy Lock, chief executive of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, said the investment would deliver benefits for years to come.

“Our industrial developments will create hundreds of jobs and economic growth for the coalfields, while the income generated will support more grassroots community organisations and vulnerable people in the coalfields,” he said.

“This funding will change thousands of lives in coalfield communities, taking us another step forward to address the challenging legacy of the pit closures.”

The Trust says that once built, the sites will be self-sustaining, with rent from the units reinvested back into the local communities.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens welcomed the investment in the two Neath Port Talbot sites.

“As a result of this investment, people and businesses in former South Wales coalfield communities will receive greater access to the jobs and opportunities they deserve,” she said.

“For too long, these communities have been left behind — with many people having been forced to leave their local areas to seek employment elsewhere.”

Welsh Labour MP for Neath and Swansea East, Carolyn Harris, whose constituency takes in the Vale of Neath, said the money would help workers and businesses in the area’s old mining communities.

“This is another example of the UK Government delivering jobs and economic growth across Wales, ensuring people can access good quality jobs where they are, rather than having to look further afield,” she said.

It is the latest pot of UK Government regeneration money aimed at Neath Port Talbot. The same government’s Pride in Place programme is separately putting £20m into the Upper Afan Valley, where a board chaired by former council chief executive Karen Jones will decide how the money is spent over the next decade.

The Vale of Neath has also drawn investment before, securing £17.7m from the Levelling Up Fund in 2023 to develop it as a heritage and visitor destination.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Former council chief to lead Afan Valley’s £20m regeneration drive
How Neath Port Talbot’s £20m Pride in Place money will be spent.

Vale of Neath wins £17.7m for heritage attraction
Levelling Up Fund cash to develop the valley as a visitor destination.

Bridgend at heart of new South Wales AI Growth Zone
The former Ford engine plant earmarked in a UK Government AI push.

The 11 projects sharing the UK Government’s £208m for Wales
Where Levelling Up money was directed across the country.

#CarolynHarrisMP #CoalfieldsRegenerationTrust #JoStevensMP #PrideInPlace #UKGovernment #ValeOfNeath

First look inside Neath’s transformed Gnoll Country Park

Major changes unveiled

The transformation of Gnoll Country Park has touched almost every corner of the 240‑acre site. At its heart is a new two‑storey visitor centre, replacing the ageing building with a café, flexible event spaces and a balcony that looks out across the lake.

Families will find a dedicated soft play area inside, while outside children can explore Gnoll Towers — a woodland adventure playground of three climbing towers, the tallest rising nearly 30 feet.

Visitors looking to stay longer can now book Pond Cottage, a restored Victorian groundkeeper’s home turned dog‑friendly holiday accommodation. The cottage sleeps up to six and comes with its own gardens, a log burner fuelled by wood from the park, and views across the pond and surrounding wildlife.

Neath Port Talbot Council Leader Cllr Steve Hunt and Cabinet Member Cllr Cen Phillips outside the newly refurbished Pond Cottage at Gnoll Country Park.(Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)

Elsewhere, the ruins of Gnoll House have been consolidated, the park’s historic cascades restored to their former spectacle, and new walking routes opened up.

A bridge now links the grounds to Brynau Farm, a 57‑hectare Woodland Trust haven, extending the reach of the park into the wider Vale of Neath landscape.

Alongside the physical changes, the site has been given refreshed branding, a new website and updated interpretation materials to guide visitors through its history.

Close-up of the Visitor Centre entrance at Gnoll Country Park, featuring new branding and signage.(Image: Neath Port Talbot Council)

Council’s perspective

Neath Port Talbot Council says the new facilities are intended to enhance the visitor experience and increase footfall. Council leader Steve Hunt described the visitor centre as “stylish” and said Pond Cottage would provide “a unique and authentic base” for exploring the wider Vale of Neath Heritage Corridor.

Cabinet member Cen Phillips added that the project would ensure the park “continues to play a big part in Neath Port Talbot’s future.”

Historic backdrop

Gnoll Country Park has a long history dating back to Elizabethan times, when the estate was granted to the Earls of Pembroke. It later passed to the Evans family and, through marriage in 1686, to Sir Humphrey Mackworth.

Mackworth developed the estate into an industrial hub and expanded the house and gardens. His son, Herbert, continued the work, laying out the grounds as a landscaped garden and adding features such as cascades and a grotto — elements that have now been restored as part of the latest project.

Opening soon

The park is due to officially reopen next month, with the council hoping the investment will secure its place as one of Neath Port Talbot’s most popular attractions for both residents and visitors.

#brynauFarm #cllrCenPhillips #cllrSteveHunt #gnollCountryPark #gnollEstateCountryPark #gnollTowers #holidayAccommodation #neath #neathPortTalbotCouncil #pondCottage #sirHumphreyMackworth #valeOfNeath #woodlandTrust

New data reveals rising coal tip risk in Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot

Coal tip danger escalates in South West Wales

The risk rating has increased to the highest levels for five more coal tips in Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot, bringing the total number of high‑risk tips in these former mining communities to more than 80.

The newly classified tips include two in the Llynfi Valley above Caerau and Maesteg, and three in the Godre’r‑graig area of the Swansea Valley — the same community where a primary school was closed and later demolished because of fears a spoil tip could collapse.

Neath Port Talbot: Godre’r‑graig in the spotlight

Neath Port Talbot has 41 high‑risk coal tips in total. The latest update confirms that three tips at Godre’r‑graig have been reclassified to Category D, the highest risk level.

The reclassification comes just six years after Godre’r‑graig Primary School was evacuated and later demolished because of the threat from a spoil tip above the playground. Families in the village are still waiting for a permanent replacement school.

Other high‑risk tips in Neath Port Talbot are concentrated in the Afan Valley (Cymmer, Croeserw, Glyncorrwg), the Dulais Valley (Crynant, Seven Sisters, Onllwyn), and around Resolven and Blaengwrach.

📊 Table: Neath Port Talbot high‑risk tips

UID(s)CategoryLocation (valley/community)NotesT38145, T40984, T47697DSwansea Valley (Godre’r‑graig)Reclassified to D in Oct 2025T60700, T63668, T42668, T11695, T37552, T76262, T62866, T13187, T34072DAfan Valley uplands (Cymmer / Croeserw / Glyncorrwg)Multiple D tipsT14107, T79553, T92286, T81660CResolven / Glynneath clusterUpland sitesT68909, T66999, T15396, T99421CCwmgors / Onllwyn / CrynantEastern fringeT56703, T52113, T57200, T25164CBlaengwrach uplandsClusteredT35787, T92095, T25116, T93419CUpper Dulais Valley (Crynant / Seven Sisters)Several C tipsT67079DVale of Neath (Cwmgwrach)Site where safety works are now underway

Bridgend: Valleys carry the heaviest burden

Bridgend has 42 high‑risk tips — the highest number in South West Wales. The Garw and Llynfi valleys carry the greatest concentration, with clusters above Pontycymmer, Blaengarw and Caerau.

Two tips in the Llynfi Valley were reclassified to Category D in the October 2025 update, adding to long‑standing concerns in communities where spoil heaps sit above homes and schools.

📊 Table: Bridgend high‑risk tips

UID(s)CategoryLocation (valley/community)NotesT57724, T39158, T71689, T55621, T72477, T17377, T16088, T96040, T98300, T79775, T66578, T22623, T48095CGarw Valley (Pontycymmer / Blaengarw cluster)Dense clusterT66915, T64633, T16374, T66769, T63136, T19176, T51749COgmore Valley (Ogmore Vale / Nantymoel)Spread along valley sidesT87850, T83902, T20189, T32192, T69036, T56164, T51066, T61697, T77556, T14326CLlynfi Valley (Maesteg / Caerau uplands)Includes 2 reclassified to DT15085, T22767, T23295, T56365, T18431DLlynfi Valley (Caerau cluster)High‑riskT82977DSouth Bridgend fringe (Heol‑y‑Cyw)Single D tip

Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire: lighter but not risk‑free

Further west, the numbers are smaller but the risks remain. Swansea has five Category C tips, spread across Cadle/Portmead (2), Pontardawe, Felindre and Loughor. None are currently rated at Category D, but all require annual inspections.

Neighbouring Carmarthenshire has just one Category C tip, located at Ammanford in the Amman Valley — the only high‑risk site in the county.

In Pembrokeshire, no Category C or D tips are recorded, reflecting the county’s different mining history.

The city and county have also faced other mining‑related legacies. In January 2021, homes in Clydach were flooded after water surged from old mine workings, underlining how the impact of coal is not confined to spoil tips alone.

Flooding in Clydach in 2021 after water surged from old mine workings — a stark reminder of the risks left by Wales’ mining legacy.

📊 Table: Swansea & Carmarthenshire high‑risk tips

UIDCategoryLocation (community)NotesT11227CCadle / PortmeadInspected 17/12/2024T63355CCadle / PortmeadAdjacent to T11227T54355CPontardawe uplandsInspected 23/01/2025T49702CFelindre / North Gower fringeInspected 29/01/2025T60119CLoughorInspected 07/01/2025T69583CAmmanford (Amman Valley)Only high‑risk tip in Carmarthenshire

➡️ Pembrokeshire: No Category C or D tips recorded.

A legacy of tragedy and neglect

It is almost sixty years since the Aberfan disaster, when 116 children and 28 adults were killed as a coal tip collapsed onto a school and nearby homes.

Coalfield historian Ben Curtis said that while some tips were removed or made safe after Aberfan, the danger has never gone away.

“It is a potential problem that continues to remain for some of these tips to become unsafe over time, perhaps because of factors like the effects of climate change and increased rainfall,” he said.

For decades afterwards, little was known about the precise locations or conditions of Wales’ thousands of disused coal tips. That changed only after a landslip above Tylorstown in Rhondda Cynon Taf five years ago, which prompted the creation of a national register and new legislation to ensure tips were monitored and made safe.

Today, more than 2,500 disused coal tips have been identified across Wales, the majority of them in the south Wales coalfield. Of these, 360 are classed as Category C or D — the higher‑risk sites that must be inspected once or twice a year. Lower‑risk tips are categorised as A or B.

Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly remain the counties with the highest concentrations of Category C and D tips, each with more than 50. But the latest figures show that communities in Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot, Swansea and Carmarthenshire are also living with dozens of high‑risk sites on their hillsides.

New dataset and map

The figures come from the latest update to the Welsh Government’s national coal tip database, published on 3 October. The database, first launched in 2023, is updated twice a year and is available through an interactive online map that allows residents to check the location and risk category of tips near their communities.

Coal Authority chief executive Lisa Pinney said managing tips on hillsides was key to reducing risk.

“Just under 300 are higher‑risk sites but that really just means that they need much more regular attention and inspection to make sure they stay safe. Any tip which is old mining material sitting on a hillside can pose a risk, obviously, but the key thing to their safety is to manage water and keep it away. And that’s why these inspections and maintenance are so important.”

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca‑Davies visiting a coal tip site as new safety data and legislation are rolled out.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca‑Davies added:

“The regular updating of this national, publicly available data demonstrates our unwavering commitment to coal tip safety across Wales, and our absolute dedication to protecting people. I want to reassure people living near to where tips have moved categories that this means they will receive increased monitoring and management.”

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Safety works to begin at Cwmgwrach coal tip to reduce landslip risk
Drainage improvements are being carried out at a Vale of Neath tip recently upgraded to Category D.

Record funding for coal tip safety works announced – including more than £6.3m for Neath Port Talbot
The highest annual spend to date includes millions earmarked for local sites.

Investment and legislation

The Welsh and UK governments say they have now committed more than £220m to coal tip safety, with £118m pledged by Westminster over three years and the remainder from Cardiff Bay. Officials say the funding is being used for inspections, maintenance and remediation works.

But ministers have also warned that the true cost of remediation could reach £500–600m over the next 10–15 years, far above the sums invested so far. In Neath Port Talbot alone, more than £6.3m has been earmarked for safety works, including drainage improvements at Cwmgwrach where one tip was recently upgraded to Category D.

A new law — the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act — received Royal Assent last month. It will establish a dedicated Disused Tips Authority in 2027 to oversee monitoring and management. The legislation builds on proposals first set out in 2022, when ministers argued that the old law was “no longer fit‑for‑purpose” and called for a supervisory body with enforcement powers and rights of access.

⚠️ What do coal tip categories mean?

Category D
Highest risk. Potential to endanger life or property. Inspected at least twice a year.

Category C
Significant risk. Potential to impact public safety. Inspected at least once a year.

Category A & B
Lower risk. A = very low, B = low. Inspected less frequently.

Why it matters: Category C and D tips are the focus of safety works and new legislation, as they pose the greatest potential danger to communities.

Communities still living with coal’s legacy

Across South West Wales, more than 90 high‑risk tips remain on hillsides above towns and villages. For residents in places like Godre’r‑graig and Caerau, the latest reclassifications are a reminder that the scars of coal mining are not just historical — they continue to shape daily life.

Campaigners say the figures underline the need for long‑term solutions, not just inspections. As one local activist put it: “We’ve lived with these tips for generations. Every reclassification is a reminder that the risk is still with us.”

The risks are not confined to spoil tips alone. In 2021, a burst mine shaft in Skewen caused catastrophic flooding, leading to a national mines safety summit. First Minister Mark Drakeford warned then that climate change and heavier rainfall would increase the likelihood of such incidents.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Mines safety summit called following Skewen coal mine burst
A burst mine shaft caused catastrophic flooding in Skewen, prompting a national safety summit.

Landmark coal tip safety law comes into force in Wales
New legislation establishes a Disused Tips Authority from 2027.

#AfanValley #Ammanford #Blaengarw #Blaengwrach #Cadle #Caerau #coalTip #coalTipRisk #coalTipSafety #Croeserw #Crynant #Cwmgors #Cwmgwrach #Cymmer #DulaisValley #featured #Felindre #GarwValley #Glyncorrwg #GodreRgraig #HeolYCyw #HuwIrrancaDaviesMS #LlynfiValley #Loughor #Nantymoel #OgmoreVale #OgmoreValley #Onllwyn #Pontardawe #Pontycymmer #Portmead #SevenSisters #SwanseaValley #ValeOfNeath #WelshGovernment