In the past two decades, every mining company was made to sign contracts guaranteeing the area would be restored again as a condition to get permission to mine coal in the first place. Despite this, mining companies have repeatedly extracted the profitable coal, then evaded the bulk of its restoration obligations. Sites this applies to include Margam Parc Slip, Eastpit, Selar, and Nant Helen (operated by Celtic Energy Ltd). Most recently, Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, the mining operator of the Ffos-y-fran opencast coal mine is also refusing to use the £91.2m restoration fund to clean up the site.

These mining companies leave behind mining voids, coal tips, and damaged landscapes, preventing communities from moving beyond coal with the rest of the UK. These former coalfield communities typically suffer higher levels of deprivation than the rest of the UK, making access to safe, green space even more essential. We seek to empower these communities to reclaim their local heritage from one of disempowerment and corporate greed to one of empowerment and creativity. Following on from our flagship report identifying sites of coal mining that are under-restored, we seek to broker partnerships between landowners and local community groups to shape these spaces.