Welsh Slate Gets Green Light on More Slate Quarrying at Penrhyn

PLANS SUBMITTED by Breedon Trading Ltd – owners of Welsh Slate – to extend its quarry operations in North Wales were granted approval by the Cyngor Gwynedd planning committee on 7 November 2022.

The first of two plans formulated by the company earlier this year is to increase the 318 hectare working area of Penrhyn Quarry at its south-western corner by 2.3 hectares.

The second planning application is to extend the life of the quarry beyond 2023 to continue mining slate until 2035.

The plans were unanimously approved, and will help Breedon Trading meet global demand for its slate products.

Welsh Slate Quarry Extension

Breedon says the planning approval allows an extra 250,000 tonnes of the highest quality purple Penrhyn roofing slate to be extracted. It will also allow 1.9 million tonnes of red and blue decorative aggregate slate to be produced from Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda.

The extension of the quarry’s operations and duration means 115 specialist jobs are secured, with slate work continuing until 2035, and work on restoration of the site until 2037.

Penrhyn roofing slate is globally recognised, having been exported all over the world in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This historical legacy means it remains in high demand for heritage roofs that need to be replaced with like-for-like roof coverings.

The Penrhyn quarry is located in the Eryri Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In addition, Snowdonia National Park is nearby attracting around 10 million visitors to the area each year.

A report on the environmental and socio-economic impact of the planned extension to Penrhyn found there were “no likely significant effects… identified as a result of the proposals”.

Last year, the Welsh Slate landscape in the North Wales region was designated a World Heritage Site. Reports into the extension of Penrhyn concluded “the proposed development would have no direct impact on the World Heritage Site”.

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