Anglesey Mining plc expects to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and revise existing permissions for its Parys Mountain copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver project.
LEGISLATION
Changes in the Town & Country Planning Act and environmental legislation have been made since the company received approval for several existing planning permissions, valid until 2028.
To gain consents for the former operating mine, classified as a dormant site, Anglesey Mining submitted a pre-application inquiry in June 2022 to the North Wales mineral planning authority.
On 5 April 2023, the company held a pre-application inquiry consultation with statutory bodies as well as local and national politicians on site and in the town of Amlwch.
Anglesey Mining’s proposal for Parys Mountain is based on Case C from the 2021 preliminary economic assessment of mined output increasing to 1Mtpa with an initial 12-year life.
“There are some differences to the original planning permissions including increasing the overall size of the consent area, excising all historical areas of activity categorised as important heritage sites and converting the proposed tailings from hydraulic valley-fill to dry stack,” added the company in a statement following the consultation,” said the company.
“The planning process allows for the statutory consultees to respond to the proposal with any concerns or queries regarding the project details.
“Subsequent to this consultation, the company anticipates it will be required to complete an environmental impact assessment.”
Anglesey added that it began studies during 2022 in anticipation of the possible need to submit an EIA .
“Our internal planning has been factoring in a requirement to complete an environmental impact assessment and the programmes for this commenced in the first half of last year,” said chief executive Jo Battershill.
“Consequently, the baseline surveys and ecological studies are both well advanced and understood.
“The work required to further advance these programmes will continue over the course of this year.”