‘Any plan to build an explosives factory in a national park must be subject to full public scrutiny’, say peace campaigners

Martin Shipton

Fears have been expressed that a proposal to build an explosives factory in a Welsh national park may proceed without full public scrutiny.

Last month, Nation.Cymru revealed how Harry Legge-Bourke, one of the nation’s best-known landowners, was seeking to establish an explosives factory on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Mr Legge-Bourke, who owns the Glan Usk Estate near Crickhowell, where the annual Green Man Music Festival is held, hopes to build the factory beyond Trefil, a small village near Tredegar at the northern end of Blaenau Gwent and close to the southern border of the national park. It would supply the armed forces.

The landowner, whose sister Tiggy was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry, set up a company called Skylark Defence Ltd in September 2025. It was originally registered at an address in Abergavenny, but in July 2026 its registered office was changed to an address in Salisbury.

We wrote to Mr Legge-Bourke, stating: “Political sources have told us that your company Skylark Defence Ltd is seeking to establish an explosives factory in the southern part of the national park. As we understand it, the site straddles the border between the park and Blaenau Gwent.

“We have been told that park officials are in discussion with you about this project and that a planning application is likely to result. We are seeking a statement about this matter from you.”

Mr Legge-Bourke responded: “Thank you for your email. Sorry I have only just seen it. No applications, no discussions, nothing. I would appreciate you not mentioning Skylark or me in any article you are considering. I don’t want to have to take legal action against Nation Cymru for rumour gossip and inuendo [sic].”

We wrote to Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, stating: “Political sources have told us that Skylark Defence Ltd, whose principal director is Harry Legge-Bourke, is seeking to establish an explosives factory in the southern part of the national park. As we understand it, the site straddles the border between the park and Blaenau Gwent.

“We have been told that park officials are in discussion with Skylark about this project and that a planning application is likely to result. We are seeking a statement about this matter from yourselves and would appreciate one today.”

Bronwyn Lally, the park authority’s head of communications, did not deny that discussions had taken place between the authority and Skylark, but would only say: “The authority has not received a planning application for any such development.”

Nation.Cymru is confident that Mr Legge-Bourke has been discussing his project with the national park authority and others.

We have now been told that, because the application would be for a defence-related development, it may be treated differently from a normal planning application.

We sought clarification from the Welsh Government, and a spokesperson told us: “Defence related development is subject to the same consultation requirements as any other planning application.

“There are provisions in section 321 of the Town and Country Planning Act which allow the Welsh Ministers to direct that some evidence at a planning inquiry may be restricted to certain persons for reasons of national security or the security of premises.

“However, before a direction can be made, it would need to be advertised and any objections to the direction would need to be considered before a decision is made to proceed.

“In the event a direction was made, a special advocate would be appointed to represent any objectors to the development.”

The news was not welcomed by peace campaigners.

‘Dirty business’

Adam Johannes, joint secretary of Cardiff Stop The War, said: “The arms industry is a dirty business, one of the most secretive and corrupt industries on earth, where corporate lobbying, political influence and big money collide.

“It would be shameful for a Plaid Cymru Welsh Minister to use national security or the security of premises as an excuse to impose anti-democratic restrictions on who can see and challenge evidence in a planning process.

“People should not have to accept an explosives factory in our national park on trust.

“Communities deserve answers about the environmental consequences, the risks, the purpose of the factory and the alternatives.

“They must be able to challenge the evidence and have their objections taken seriously.

“The Welsh Government must guarantee the fullest possible transparency over this proposal.

“Democracy cannot mean allowing people to comment on a decision while keeping the crucial evidence hidden from them.

“We need a genuinely democratic planning process, not one in which the public is expected to trust decisions it is not allowed fully to examine.

“If the Welsh Government thinks an explosives factory in a national park is in the public interest, then let it make its case openly because ‘national security’ is too often just a convenient excuse to put decisions beyond democratic scrutiny.”

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