Operations
News
Liaison group
Documents
Community support
Careers

Our Craig-yr-Hesg quarry in the Taff Valley, near Pontypridd, has been operating since 1885. 

The quarry contributes more than £2 million a year to the local economy and employs a team of 17 at the site, while a further 60+ maintenance engineers and HGV drivers depend on it for their livelihood.

Craig-yr-Hesg provides high quality blue pennant sandstone for use in road surfacing across south Wales and beyond. The stone has a high polished stone value, which means that it has a very high skid resistance, making it the ideal choice for use on motorways and airport runways. 

Reserves at the site have been secured until 2047 following the granting of planning permission to extend the site and access a further 10 million tonnes of stone in October 2022. 

Habitats within the quarry include 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. A wide range of flora and fauna has made the quarry its home, including nesting barn owls and peregrine falcons, and we work closely with an independent ecologist to protect and enhance biodiversity at the site.

We are committed to being a good neighbour and actively support local initiatives and programmes which benefit the community and environment. 

Contact us

You are welcome to contact us with any questions you may have about our operations.

You can reach us at: craigyrhesgquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com or 0800 160 1317

Suppliers

Request more information on how to become a supplier.

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Blasting

A blast is scheduled for Monday, 13 April 2026 between 12:00 and 14:00

Blasting can take place between 10:00 and 16:00 Monday to Friday. We plan operations so that, wherever feasible, blasting takes place between 12:00 and 15:00. Please note our blast times are approximate and, as such, are subject to change due to weather or operational safety requirements.

Residents can request to be added to our WhatsApp group to be kept informed of blasts by sending a WhatsApp message to 07875 139481. Please see our privacy policy for details on how we manage personal data. 

Permitted operating hours

Quarry operations (including primary crusher):  07:00 – 19:00 Monday to Friday and 07:00 – 16:00 on Saturday. Maintenance work is permitted to take place outside of these times.

Asphalt: The onsite asphalt plant has permission to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week to supply highway construction and maintenance works. Operations usually take place between 06:00 and 16:00, subject to demand.

Sales office: 07:30 – 15:30 . See: Aggregates Craig-Yr-Hesg Quarry
 

News

Update on permissive path linking Glyncoch to the Darren Ddu Road

Walkway at Craig yr Hesg

Works to establish a permissive path linking Glyncoch and the Darren Ddu Road are now completed. 

Read announcement
Liaison Group

Liaison group

We are committed to open communication and are working to set up a Craig-yr-Hesg quarry community liaison group to help develop on-going dialogue with residents and stakeholders.

The aim of the group is to provide an information exchange between ourselves and local community representatives. The planned quarterly meetings, supported by an Agreed Terms of Reference and an independent Chair, would facilitate transparent discussions and help to ensure that issues can be raised in the early stages. It would also enable the more positive benefits of quarrying to the local community to be realised. 

Our aim is that membership of the group would be made up of representatives from the local community, local elected representatives and relevant council officers, as well as representation from relevant statutory and non-statutory bodies. If you are interested in representing your community on this group, please do get in touch with us at: craigyrhesgquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com  

Email us

Public Inquiry Information 

Welsh Ministers Decision Letter 375.57 KB Inspectors Report 1.42 MB
View a full list of documents

FAQs

Covering information on extension groundworks, permissive paths, programme, operations and more.

Read the full range of FAQs

If you would like to request additional information please send an email to craigyrhesgquarry@uk.heidelbergmaterials.com. 

Handouts available at our public drop in June 2024 

Our approach at Craig-yr-Hesg 1.01 MB Our approach at Craig-yr-Hesg - Welsh translation 1005.89 KB

Quarry extension (submissions to 2022 Public Inquiry)

Click here for the Public Inquiry documents

Other documents

Site Biodiversity Action Plan - Craig YR Hesg Quarry 1.03 MB

Supporting the community

As a responsible operator, we want to play our part in supporting communities near our sites as well as protecting and enhancing the local environment.

Our community assistance programme has involved the donation of money, materials and time, through our employee volunteering days. Our approach is to prioritise support for initiatives:

  • Promoting education, skills, and wellbeing
  • Protecting/enhancing the environment
  • Supporting biodiversity and sustainability
  • Promoting the community and heritage of the area

Assistance is prioritised to groups making applications from those based within a three-mile radius of our Craig-yr-Hesg quarry site. To make an application for funding, material donation and/or volunteer support, please tell us about your group and/or project, what type of support you are seeking and how your project’s aims align with our support initiative goals set out above.

Request a donation

Complete this form to request a donation 

Recent beneficiaries of our local support programme include:

  • Maesycoed allotments: We resurfaced the main access road to the allotments to allow safe and easy access.
  • Barry Sidings Countryside park: Some of our employees spent their annual volunteering day clearing the park, upgrading the picnic tables and carrying out new planting.
     
Request a donation
Craig-yr-Hesg

Careers at Craig-yr-Hesg quarry

At Heidelberg Materials in the UK, you’ll be part of One Team across around 300 manufacturing sites, with career opportunities in diverse roles from production and operations to sales, IT, engineering and finance.

Visit our careers website

Apply on our portal

We offer a range of apprenticeships, a higher-apprenticeship programme for school leavers, and a structured two-year graduate scheme in disciplines such as engineering, geology, marketing and STEM, enabling you to earn, learn and build a long-term career in the mineral products industry.

Visit our careers website