Celebrities back campaign to save nature reserve from being developed into a holiday village
Singer Dafydd Iwan is amongst the celebrities who have signed a letter calling for the First Minister to intervene to save a nature reserve from being developed into a holiday village.
A number of television presenters, including Iolo Williams, Carol Vordeman and Joanna Lumley are also backing the campaign to save Penrhos Coastal Park in Holyhead.
Land and Lakes, a company based in Cumbria, secured planning permission from Anglesey County Council in November 2013 to build up to 500 holiday chalets in Penrhos. The nature reserve was listed an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) back in 1967. It’s also a conservation area and parts of it are a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Parts of the ancient woodland date back to the 1700s and is full of a variety of flora, fauna and wildlife. Red squirrels, bats, badgers, foxes and insects are amongst the many native species who live there.
The development threatens 27 acres of native woodland.
Local woman Hilary Paterson-Jones leads the campaign to Save Penrhos Coastal Park. She has always maintained that she will tie herself to a tree when the bulldozers come in.
Speaking with Nation.Cymru this morning Hilary said: “I think it’s a dreadful thing that the people of Holyhead have to resort to this. It’s beyond belief – one side of Holy Island has been concreted over by Stena, and now we’re under threat from Penrhos being concreted over.”
In late August of this year, Penrhos Coastal Park was voted UK’s favourite park in the annual public vote by independent charity Fields in Trust. This was the first time ever for a Welsh park to claim the top spot.
Hilary Paterson-Jones says the park is popular with locals and tourists alike: “I took the dogs for a walk this morning at 7am and there was already about 20 cars there.
“There were people walking and all you could hear were the birds singing – it was beautiful and heavenly. Everyone has their worries at the moment, with the cost of living and everything. But when you go there for a walk they just melt away.”
Campaigners are also delighted to have the backing of Carolyn Thomas MS for North Wales.
The Welsh Labour politician is arranging for the letter to be presented to the First Minister in person, hopefully before Christmas.
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Come on Mark Drakefrord, Julie James and Lee Waters look North and see the damage that is about to be done, you are supposed to protect Wales…
They worship the golden calf of tourism – the calf that ravages the pastures of Wales, and gives little more than watery milk in return.
Can’t see it from Cardiff Bay so it doesn’t count especially if it brings in “investment” and badly paid jobs for locals. Should do just the job for prolonging that sense of poverty and justify their begging bowl policy. And if the money comes from Qatar, well that would justify that little junket….
That’s the problem with democracy, you vote Independent and Plaid who give things planning permission and it means you can’t really blame Labour in Cardiff without looking a right plonker.
Hardly any politicians of any party can be exempted from being described as “plonker”
It was given permission to support a power station project being proposed under a policy drafted by Labour, approved by a LibDem SoS under a Conservative PM at a time when Ynys Môn had a Labour MP who lobbied for this development to go ahead
True, not Labour (or Plaid) in the Senedd, but all other parties touched it
This calls for a ‘closer look’ Rhun…
Those who do not take their duty (which is the duty of every person here) to protect Cymru are shameful creatures.
Cymru is not for sale.
The history of this proposal is long and tortuous, but there comes a time when we have to draw a line on the past and ask what do we want going forward, and it’s quite clear that this proposal in this place is quite inappropriate. There are other locations where a holiday village can be located if one is needed
Dr Jonathan F Dean
Ymgyrch Diogelu Cymru Wledig /Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales
Well done Sir! Nice to somebody who has done their research. Perhaps it is now down to the rest of us to write to our MS and complain that the proposal should be turned down.
I have just checked and it seems that the County Council was with no party in overall control at the time (2013 election). So we cannot ‘blame’ any specific party.
That is the case, and the Council was just out of “special measures” so not brimming with confidence in their abilities
The whole L&L development was cooked up to support the Wylfa development, but then Hitachi dropped them, then the whole project
The s106 does not allow development unless the power station work camp also goes ahead, which is why L&L lobbied hard for their camp to be included. Right now it’s stale mate, but that won’t last forever
Just written to Mark Drakeford about it requesting that it be squashed.
The Council could withdraw permission at any time, but would have to pay compensation
Socialists/Globalists always put others first.
Wherever they hold power, indigines lose.
Cymru needs a Nationalist party.
Jones is the second most populous name in England. The greatest Welsh speaking city that has ever existed is Lerpwl that had 94 Welsh chapels. There are more people of Welsh extra tion in England than Wales.