Locals oppose landowner’s plan to site explosives factory in national park

Martin Shipton

Plans for an explosives factory in a national park are likely to encounter significant opposition from local residents if a formal planning application is submitted.

Nation.Cymru revealed how prominent landowner Harry Legge-Bourke, who owns the Glan Usk estate at Crickhowell where the annual Green Man Music Festival is held, wants to establish the controversial facility in the southern part of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

The explosives would be sold to the armed forces.

No planning application has yet been made, although reliable sources have told us that Mr Legge-Bourke has been in discussions with the national park authority about the scheme.

He 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.

Mr Legge-Bourke 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.

At first he was the sole director, but on September 18, 2026, a second director was appointed.

Andrew Burn, whose title with Skylark is 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 project, he sought to deny it, stating: “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].”

However, Nation.Cymru is confident that its information is accurate.

We asked some local people what they thought of the proposal.

John Morris, a former Liberal Democrat councillor who represented Crickhowell on Powys County Council from 2003 until 2022, said: “My gut reaction is that many local residents will be quite appalled by this idea.

“It’s the type of thing Harry Legge-Bourke would want for the area. Some years ago he tried to open a stone quarry at Crickhowell.

“He tends to operate in an old-school way, trying to get what he wants by getting support from powerful people, but these days due diligence is expected, and I’d expect the park authority to scrutinise the proposal very carefully.

“I think he’ll find a huge amount of resistance to this in the national park. People will be alert to the potential dangers and, of course, the national park is for quiet enjoyment.”

‘Serious questions’

Louise Elston-Reeves, a former Mayor of Talgarth, said: “The possibility of an arms factory being established within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park raises serious questions about what kind of future we want for this unique Welsh landscape and for the communities that live within it.

“Wales is internationally recognised for its natural beauty, heritage, tourism and rural communities; putting Wales on the map as a producer of weapons risks creating a very different and deeply troubling association.

“Any proposal of this nature should be subject to full public scrutiny, particularly its environmental impact, effect on the National Park, local communities and the wider message it sends about Wales and what we value.”

Jane Dodds, who leads the Welsh Liberal Democrats and is an MS for the local constituency of Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, did not wish to comment.

The organisation Stop the War has already spoken out against the project.

‘Mass protest’

Adam Johannes, the joint secretary of its Cardiff branch, said: “We need to start organising now, before this proposal becomes a fait accompli. Stopping it will take a broad united front and mass protest.

“Cardiff Stop the War Coalition is ready to work with any local residents, farmers, environmental, conservation, wildlife groups, peace networks, trade unions, community groups and Welsh political organisations around one simple demand: stop the proposal and protect our national park.

“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.”

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.