Residents near the area fear disruption

A committee set up by the Welsh assembly government has backed the scheme earmarked for derelict land on the outskirts of Merthyr Tydfil.

Over 17 years, 10m tonnes of coal will be mined with up to 600 jobs created.

Opponents who claimed the development at Ffos-y-Fran could carry health risks have pledged to fight on.

Developers Miller Argent (South Wales) Limited have said 200 direct jobs will be created and 1,000 acres of derelict and unsafe land will be transformed.

They hope to start work by the end of the year, with coal extracted at the rate of up to 20,000 tonnes a week.

The project is the final phase of the East Merthyr Reclamation Scheme, aimed at restoring former industrial wasteland.

A committee of assembly members announced on Tuesday that it had approved the scheme - subject to a guarantee ensuring the eventual restoration of the site.

Opponents have said they are calling an emergency meeting in the next few days to discuss the decision. They say they are extremely disappointed but have not given up.

'Economic benefits'

A planning inspector said that, while local people's concerns about potential health impacts were genuine and sincerely held, they were not supported by factual evidence. Air quality, he added, would still be well within accepted standards.

The planning decision committee agreed with the inspector who considered there would be environmental and economic benefits, and at no cost to the public.

As well as the jobs created, there would also be a wider benefit, in that coal would be produced which was suitable for Aberthaw Power Station, they said.

Merthyr Tydfil council welcomed the decision, and said the developers had to agree to "numerous planning conditions".

The company would also have to provide a �15m financial guarantee to ensure complete restoration and aftercare of the site.

"The Ffos-y-Fran scheme represents a significant opportunity to reclaim derelict land at no financial cost to the council tax-payer, and will provide major economic benefits," the council said.

The council estimates the scheme will be worth �55m to the local economy, with archaeological features remaining and an "enhancement of ecological interests" on the site.

Campaigners who have been fighting the proposals have agreed that something should be done to improve the area, which has long been a dumping ground for everything from household rubbish to cars.