By Ryan, Digital and Data team for Mining Legacy & Reservoir Safety
Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
In July, the Senedd passed the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill. It’s now received Royal Assent and the new Disused Tips Authority will be established in 2027 – a big milestone. But while the legislation is recently passed, the work to implement it has been underway for some time. Our digital and data work began in March 2024 and has been steadily building since.
One of the most important pieces of that work? Understanding what people actually need from the new Disused Tips Authority – especially when it comes to public-facing digital services.
Why we did research
The new Authority will be responsible for assessing and monitoring disused coal and non-coal tips across Wales, creating safety plans for higher-risk sites and mitigating risks to keep communities safe from the risks that disused tips pose. That includes publishing a digital register, issuing notices and reports, and engaging with the public and stakeholders. From a digital perspective, that means building services that are:
- Geospatial (think maps and location data)
- Interactive (so people can report concerns or get updates)
- Accessible (so that everyone can access them, regardless of digital confidence)
We had ideas about what these services might look like – but we didn’t want to make assumptions. So, in early 2025, while the Bill was still going through legislative scrutiny, we partnered with UserVision to run a small-scale user research project.
Who we spoke to
UserVision reached out to a mix of people: landowners, land occupiers, community representatives, and everyday land users (like someone who walks their dog along a footpath on a tip). The research included remote one-to-one interviews and in-person focus groups, including one held in Welsh.
What we heard
Some of the findings confirmed what we expected. Others surprised us. Here are a few highlights:
– Safety first: Most people, regardless of how close they lived to a tip, just wanted to know that it was being monitored. Some wanted access to reports, but for many, reassurance was enough.
– Keep it simple: People don’t want to wade through jargon or complex maps.
– Digital is preferred – but not for everyone: Most participants said they’d look online for information, but many raised concerns about those without digital access. We’ll need to make sure there are non-digital options too.
– Interactive maps are popular: People liked the idea of being able to explore tip locations and statuses visually – as long as the maps are easy to use.
– Joined-up services matter: Participants wanted services that “talk to each other” – ideally with links between related information and services.
– Reporting should be easy: Most people were happy to report concerns online, but only if the process was straightforward.
– Regular updates are expected: People want to stay informed – but how they want to receive updates varies.
And then there were the challenges…
– Participants wanted alerts when there may be risks to human welfare, for example when there’s heavy rain. This may be technically complex, but is something we will capture as an opportunity for the Authority to investigate in due course.
– Awareness varied: Some participants didn’t know they lived near a disused tip until we invited them to take part in the research.
This highlighted an opportunity for improving awareness through surfacing more information about tips in clear and easy to understand ways, enabled by digital and data. It’s also a big opportunity for the new Authority to engage more proactively with the communities of Wales.
What happens next?
The Authority will be established on 1 April 2027, and work is progressing well for it to be operational by that date. The findings from this research are already shaping our work. They’re informing the design of public-facing services and will be shared with the new Authority to help guide its future engagement.
Most importantly, the research reminded us why user research matters. It’s easy to assume we know what people want – but the only way to be sure is to ask.