On 02 October 2023 we rebranded to Heidelberg Materials. As well as aligning with our parent company, our new name better reflects the company we are today.
We’re focused on driving down carbon emissions, increasing the use of recycled materials to grow the circular economy and leading our industry towards net zero with innovative projects such as carbon capture and storage.
Some of the new Heidelberg Materials signage and vehicle livery is already in place and we hope to have completed this within the next two years. Please note that our email and website details have also changed.
Craig yr Hesg quarry in the Taff Valley, near Pontypridd is a nationally important source of premium quality blue pennant sandstone for road surfacing. The stone has very high skid resistance, making it ideal for the top surface of roads. It is widely used throughout South Wales and Southern England and has gone into a number of major projects including the Heathrow Airport runway and the M25. The quarry also supplies stone for use in concrete and for other construction projects. Reserves are running low so Heidelberg Materials has submitted a planning application to extend the existing workings into land to the north-west currently used for grazing. If permitted, the extension area would release a further 10 million tonnes of rock.
The quarry habitats include pockets of semi natural woodland, small pockets of heathland, rock and scree, open habitat on previously disturbed ground and quarry benches and tips that are regenerating naturally to woodland. Barn owls and peregrine falcons use the site for breeding.
Welsh World War One memorial stones to be erected in Belgium
A memorial will be erected in Belgium to the Welsh soldiers who fought in World War One. Seven standing stones from Wales will be adorned with a plaque to represent each regiment and division.They will be transported from Craig-yr-Hesg quarry near Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff, on Thursday, 17th November 2016.
The local church St Catherine’s marked the establishment of the town in 1866 - 1870 and was built with Blue Pennant sandstone from Craig Yr Hesg quarry.
Community visits
If you are interested in visiting please contact us on the form below.
Owl saved from screen house during pre-startup inspection
Prior to starting up the plant on the 4th January last year following the christmas break, staff carrying out the pre-startup inspection spotted an owl that was trapped within the screen house and saved the day.
Ty Gwyn School visits quarry
The quarry had a visit from 9 pupils from Ty Gwyn School, Glyncoch in October. The visit consisted of a site tour and they collected stones for their school rockery.
Ty Gwyn School visits quarry
The quarry had a visit from 9 pupils from Ty Gwyn School, Glyncoch in October. The visit consisted of a site tour and they collected stones for their school rockery.
Pontypridd's Old Bridge
Pontypridd is noted for its Old Bridge, a stone construction across the River Taff built in 1756 by William Edwards. Read more
Community donation
Earlier in the year Craig Yr Hesg quarry donated 40 tonnes of stone to the local golf club that overlooks the quarry.
Public inquiry into planning appeals:
APP/L6940/A/20/3265358 (Western extension to existing quarry including an extension of the end date for quarrying)
APP/L6940/A/21/3282880 (Continuation of quarrying and related operations (Section 73))
Heidelberg Materials has appealed against the refusal of its planning applications (1) for an extension at Craig yr Hesg Quarry and (2) for an extension of time to allow the completion of the extraction of materials from the existing Quarry. The Welsh Ministers have “recovered” the appeals for their determination and an Inspector is appointed to provide a Report to the Welsh Ministers following a Public Inquiry. At the Inquiry the Inspector will hear evidence from Heidelberg Materials and from the Council as well as hearing from third parties who may wish to speak.
The Inquiry will start on 21 June 2022 at 10:00am at Pontypridd RFC, Sardis Road, Pontypridd, CF37 1HA. It is scheduled for 8 working days but how long the Inquiry will take in practice may vary.
The Inspector requested that any third parties, such as local residents, who wished to speak at the Inquiry should email/write to PEDW to confirm this at the addresses below and should attend the Inquiry at 10am on 21 June.
PEDW email address: PEDW.CentralServices@gov.wales PEDW postal address:
Planning & Environment Decisions Wales
Welsh Government,
CP2, Cathays Park,
Cardiff,
CF10 3NQ
Time Extension Planning Application
A planning application was submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council (RCT) on 17th May 2021, which seeks permission to continue the operation of Craig yr Hesg Quarry without complying with the current planning conditions for the site which require the winning and working of minerals or depositing of mineral waste to cease by 31st December 2022. The application seeks to extend the time limit for such quarrying operations by 6 years to 31st December 2028 to allow the remaining reserves of stone to be extracted.
The application also seeks to make consequential changes to the time limits associated with restoration, with a request to delay the submission of a restoration scheme until no later than 31st December 2028 and the implementation of the scheme within 2 years of the date of its approval or by 31st December 2030, whichever is the sooner. It is not proposed to seek to amend any of the other existing planning conditions, and the existing planning conditions which regulate hours of working, noise, blasting, dust and air quality, and surface water and groundwater protection would remain in place to regulate operations at the site for the additional timescale requested, but would be updated where appropriate.
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been undertaken in support of the application, and the results of the EIA are set out in an Environmental Statement (ES) which may be viewed on RCT’s planning register on the RCT web site following registration of the application. Copies of the full ES as well as a Non-Technical Summary (NTS) may also be purchased from the company’s Agents, SLR Consulting Ltd. (Details available within NTS on the RCT planning register.)
Land Management Works
During the week commencing 7th December 2020 land management works were carried out in the Company owned land to the north west of the quarry using a tractor drawn grass cutter, to maintain the land and remove invasive shrub and rank vegetation. Similar works will be undertaken periodically in order to maintain the fields in a tidy condition now that they are no longer being grazed.
Craig-Yr-Hesg quarry aids local flood victims
Heidelberg Materials UK’s Craig-Yr-Hesg quarry recently donated cleaning supplies and PPE (personal protective equipment) to 100 homes on Berw Road and Sion Street in Pontypridd who had been affected by severe flooding following storm Dennis.
The management team at Craig-Yr-Hesg also hired a road sweeper to clean the front gardens, paths and fronts of the 100 homes which had been covered in thick layers of silt from the river.
Quarry history
Quarrying began at Craig yr Hesg in around 1885. At one stage more than 100 people worked at the site. Today the quarry employs 16 people directly while a further 30 depend upon it for their livelihood.
Become a supplier
Request more information on how to become a supplier.
Planning application for land to the west of the quarry
To view the planning application for quarrying operations on the land to the west of the quarry please do the following:
Go to the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council website at www.rctcbc.gov.uk
Click - Environment Planning and Waste
Click - Planning
Click - Planning applications
Click – Planning applications – search the register
Enter Application Reference Number 15/0666/10 and search.
Click – Documents
Interesting fact: Small trains used to operate in the quarry.
More stones from Craig yr Hesg to be used
Gentlemen from the WW1 memorial committee paid a visit to Craig yr Hesg quarry in May as they are looking at using more stones from the quarry to crate a larger memorial in Belgium to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Ypres.
Below is the existing memorial made from stones from Craig Yr Hesg quarry that was unveiled by First Minister Carwyn Jones in August 2014.
