Company crash raises concerns about landowner’s plan to open explosives factory

Martin Shipton

Fresh concerns have been raised about plans by one of Wales’ best-known landowners to open an explosives factory in a national park because of his links to a company that collapsed with significant debts.

Nation.Cymru revealed in September that Harry Legge-Bourke wants to establish an explosives factory just inside the southern boundary of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, close to Trefil in Blaenau Gwent.

Mr Legge-Bourke owns the Glan Usk Estate near Crickhowell, where the annual Green Man Festival is held. The proposed factory would supply the armed forces.

He set up a company called Skylark Defence Ltd in September 2025. He was initially its sole director, but a second director was appointed in September 2026.

Andrew Burn, Skylark’s chief technology officer, worked for BAE Systems for more than 30 years, latterly as its head of technology. BAE Systems is one of Britain’s biggest weapons companies.

When we contacted Mr Legge-Bourke about the explosives factory project, we told him we understood he had been in talks with national park officials. He denied that any such discussions had taken place.

The national park did not deny that discussions had taken place but said no planning application had been made.

We are confident that discussions have taken place with the national park and others.

Local residents and peace campaigners have opposed the idea of an explosives factory being built in the national park.

Intervention

Adam Johannes, joint secretary of Cardiff Stop The War Coalition, said: “The idea of an explosives factory in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park should concern us all. This is a nationally important landscape and a proposal with implications beyond the local area, so the Welsh Government must call in any planning application. If it considered the proposed DARC military radar development in Pembrokeshire, overlooking the UK’s only coastal national park, significant enough to warrant its intervention, it cannot apply a different standard to an explosives factory within or adjoining Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

“There could be real ecological risks. Building an explosives factory could mean cutting down plants and trees, destroying or splitting up wildlife habitats, and disturbing birds, bats and other animals. More roads, lorries, noise and bright lights could disturb wildlife too. The factory could also put pressure on streams, rivers, groundwater and soil. If there were a fire, explosion or chemical spill, harmful substances could get into the land or water.

“Wales must not get drawn deeper into an expanding arms economy. Instead of arms production, our skilled workers and industrial capacity should be used to build homes, renewable energy, public transport and other things people need.”

A new issue has now arisen.

Mr Legge-Bourke was a director of Blaythorne Group Ltd, a company he founded in 2007. The firm provided specialist equipment and training to what an administrator’s report later described as “foreign government bodies”.

He resigned as a director in March 2016 but remained a person with significant control of the company until July 2018, according to a document filed at Companies House.

Blaythorne’s accounts for the year ended 30 June 2018 show that it had net liabilities of £93,415. It owed creditors £1.1m payable within one year, while the amount owed to it by trade and other debtors rose from £352,000 to £753,000 over the year.

Insolvent

The company was declared insolvent and an administrator was appointed in November 2019.

A decision was taken in November 2020 to liquidate the company, a process that is still under way.

The administrator’s final progress report, covering the period to October 2020, put the estimated shortfall for unsecured creditors at £1,374,511.10.

The most recent liquidator’s report, dated November 2025, states that unsecured creditors had submitted claims totalling more than £1.6m. The claims would not be admitted for dividend purposes until funds were available for distribution. At the time of the report, no dividends had been paid to unsecured creditors. Their claims included £29,000 in unpaid tax owed to HMRC.

A political source told Nation.Cymru: “In addition to the real concern at the prospect of an explosives factory being built in the national park, there is the need to consider whether Harry Legge-Bourke is an appropriate person to take the project forward.

“Blaythorne, a company he founded, crashed with significant debts. He certainly should be explaining what went wrong.”

We asked Mr Legge-Bourke to explain what went wrong with Blaythorne and why he considered it appropriate to build an explosives factory in a national park. He did not respond.