A PLANNED BMX pump track on land where material from a landslide has been placed is nearing completion and is set to officially open soon.
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council has given the latest update on the work happening at the Tylorstown tip to make it safe since a landslide five years ago including an update on the planned BMX pump track on a receptor site in Ferndale.
The landslip on the Llanwonno hillside in February 2020 was triggered by the unprecedented rainfall during Storm Dennis.
It blocked the river valley, broke a foul sewer, covered a water main with several metres of debris, and covered a shared footpath.
A four-phase remediation plan has been put in place and included emergency clearance work in the weeks that followed, known as phase one.
Phase two which included embankment scour repairs and phase three which included the removal of material from the valley floor to receptor sites and the reinstatement of paths are both complete along with extra work to stabilise the slope.
Work as part of phase four involving the remediation of the remaining tip on the hillside continues.
Current work on the site includes installation of the final drainage infrastructure on the donor site, where the upper Llanwonno tip has been significantly reduced in volume and reprofiled, the council says.
It says this drainage work is vital to manage ground water and surface water on the hillside and improve the overall site’s stability.
A longer-term plan for land and habitat management is being put in place which includes consideration of what can be done to mitigate wildfires.
A system of technical monitoring will also be installed while minor work to complete the new receptor site to the rear of Tylorstown tip is under way.
During two previous phases of work a receptor site was used in Ferndale to place slipped material from the river and valley floor.
A project to create a BMX pump track at this site is nearing completion with this new facility set to be officially opened soon.
Tree planting has also taken place on one of the other receptor sites that was used earlier in the scheme.
RCT has received £11.49m from the Welsh Government’s coal tip safety grant for 2025-26 with £118m from UK Government set to go towards coal tip safety in Wales over the next three years along with Welsh Government funding.
The council uses this funding for monitoring and regular inspections, responding to reactive repairs following severe weather, completing maintenance work, and undertaking detailed reviews of priority tips which includes drainage and stability assessments and site investigations.
