UKC

Access Banned

Pant is a workiing Quarry and the owners Tarmac make is clear that access for climbing or any public acccess is not allowed. 

Pant Quarry Update July 13th 2021BMC

Managed last week to speak to the, General Manager for Tarmac for South Wales Region.

 

Overall an amicable discussion over access and climbing at Pant but their position is essentially unchanged and is unlikely for a variety of reason to be able to change in the foreseeable future.

 

He gave the following reasons:

  • Tarmac will be recommencing full reopening of the quarry in the next few months.
  • They see it as their most valuable hard rock/limestone quarry in southern Britain with some of the best quality limestone for cement and aggregate anywhere. This factor linked to the location close to their processing plant at Aberthaw makes this a very important site for them.
  • They have between 5 and 10 years of working life left at the quarry, depending on speed of extraction and development.
  • They have surrendered and “pooled” planning permissions across the whole South Wales region to enable planning permission to be extended here.
  • The good news -they have no intention of changing or quarrying the “climbing face” and are not specifically against climbing activities.
  • The bad news - they cannot give access to the quarry and do not consider it at all practical to allow any sort of public access to the quarry while it is subject to “Quarry Regulations 1999”.
  • They have received specific instructions from HSE Inspectorate that the public have to kept out of the whole quarry at all times and that as quarry operators they have to be proactive in doing this (they have been formally warned of this by HSE following inspections in the past).
  • The site mangers as well as the company can be held personally and criminally responsible for any accidents or incidents and the whole premise of “a risk willingly taken” does not apply in working quarries – they have an absolute responsibility to keep people out of working quarries.
  • The idea of separating the climbing face from the rest of the working quarry is not at all practical in their opinion – the wall is over 40m high and quarry regulations or guidance suggests that the minimum “safe” area should be at least the same height of the wall – which is not possible while operating the quarry.
  • They have also had surveys/inspections of the main wall that suggests that it is structurally inherently unstable (i.e. the wall could collapse, not just falling rocks).
  • If climbers continue to access the site under the current situation, they are very likely to be instructed by HSE (a legal requirement) to be more proactive to dissuade climbing but taking greater physical measures to prevent climbing access. This isn’t something they want to do or have any desire to do – it costs money for a start and delays working at the site but if instructed by HSE they have no choice but to comply.
  • Longer term – they see climbers as a key stake holder and want to work with BMC and other groups on their “quarry restoration plans”  to look at the future use of the quarry, including recreational and climbing.
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R Thomas.

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Tip Tope Rail

Grade: 5c ***
(Castle Upon Alun Quarry)

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