Coal tip safety report urges Welsh planning consultation

Coal tip safety in Wales is the subject of a new report calling for the future Disused Tips Authority to be consulted on development near disused tips. Published by the Welsh Government on 1st October 2026, the Mining Remediation Authority’s report examines how a changing climate affects these old heaps of mining waste. Its planning recommendation matters to communities and people proposing works nearby.

I would separate the report’s recommendation from a change in the law. It is asking for a clearer consultation process, rather than announcing that a new requirement has already started. If you live beside a tip, own one or are considering building nearby, the immediate question is what evidence is needed to understand your particular site.

The Welsh Government says the new authority is due to be established in April 2027. Meanwhile, its existing inspection and maintenance programme continues. For coal tip safety, that means we need to look at today’s arrangements as well as what the report wants changed, without treating every nearby property as unsafe or every development as unacceptable.

Coal tip safety: the planning recommendation

The full climate adaptation report recommends that the new authority become a consultee for development within a defined area containing tips. A consultee is a body asked to provide specialist comments before a planning decision. That role is different from deciding the application itself.

It identifies a gap between advice about underground mining hazards and the effects development can have on disused tips above ground. Its proposed consultation would address a tip’s stability, access and function.

For me, the useful distinction is the direction of the question. We should ask both whether the land is suitable for the proposed building and whether the building or works could affect neighbouring land. An application boundary tells us where the proposal sits; it doesn’t explain every relationship beyond it.

What the published categories tell residents

The Welsh Government’s public guidance explains that category C and D tips need more frequent inspections. It explicitly says: “It does not mean they are unsafe”. Category C tips are inspected once a year and category D tips twice a year.

That is an important reassurance when discussing coal tip safety. A category describes the monitoring approach and potential public-safety impact. I wouldn’t turn the letter on a map into a diagnosis of an individual house, or tell someone their land cannot be developed without the necessary evidence.

The same guidance distinguishes lower categories A, B and R. Category R can include tips that have been removed or levelled and are often built over. This is why appearances alone aren’t a sound way to identify the history of land.

If you’re a resident, use the official information to frame a specific enquiry. Ask which tip is involved and which body can answer your concern. A photograph or a general description of the valley won’t establish the condition of the ground beneath your property.

Check the map, then ask the right questions

The official location map covers all categories. Its guidance says the displayed information reflects March 2026 and will be updated as inspections and assessments provide further findings. Each tip has an identification number, with information about its category, local authority and last inspection.

You can search for a town or village and select a tip to see its details. Boundaries are visible to a scale of 1:25,000. The Welsh Government also states that the data is for personal use and cannot be used commercially. We link to that resource here; we haven’t reproduced its mapping.

For a homeowner checking coal tip safety, I would note the identification number and the date shown before contacting the relevant authority. That gives the enquiry a clear starting point and helps avoid confusion between different nearby features.

For a development project, ask the council what information it needs and obtain appropriately licensed site information. A public map is a starting point for finding the relevant official contacts, rather than a substitute for a professional assessment or permission to copy restricted data into commercial plans.

The existing programme continues

The Welsh Government’s coal tip safety programme says responsibility remains with owners, supported by public inspection, maintenance and funding arrangements. It works with local authorities, Natural Resources Wales and the Mining Remediation Authority. Public assistance should therefore not be read as transferring every owner’s responsibility to government.

Its spring 2026 figures record 2,589 disused coal tips across Wales. The issue is especially associated with the south Wales valleys, but it also affects other parts of the country. The Government warns that figures can change through ongoing assessment.

The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025 became law in September 2025. The Government describes the future authority’s work as assessment, registration, monitoring and management. I would avoid assuming that the Act’s existence means every part of the future regime is operating today.

For coal tip safety, the April 2027 establishment timetable and the continuing interim programme are the relevant official context. Neither should be confused with confirmation that the report’s separate planning-consultation recommendation has been implemented.

What I would check before designing works

If you’re considering development near a tip, start by describing the actual works. Include proposed excavation, changes in levels, drainage routes and how maintenance access would be retained. Those are questions for the appropriate specialists and council to assess, rather than matters a general news article can resolve for an individual plot.

I’d also ask who owns the adjoining land and who holds relevant inspection information. Keep the planning proposal, technical advice and any necessary agreement with neighbours connected from the beginning. Otherwise, a design can progress while a basic question about access or responsibility remains unanswered.

Planning Geek can help with the planning-side appraisal and coordinate with suitable specialists. We don’t provide a slope-stability certificate or engineering design. Our Wales planning hub provides wider context, but the evidence for your land still needs to be specific to it.

The next development to watch is an official response or implementation measure addressing the recommendation. Until then, I would use the report to ask better questions, retain the distinction between advice and operative requirements, and get concerns about a particular tip to the body equipped to investigate them.