New footpath could be built to improve access to north Wales beauty spot

Dale Spridgeon, Local democracy reporter

A new footpath for pedestrians and cyclists could be built to improve access to a north Wales beauty spot.

Cyngor Gwynedd has received an application to remove an existing boundary wall to create a new footpath at Llyn Bach, on Cob Crwn in Porthmadog, Gwynedd.

Plans state that the existing informal route to Cob Crwn currently consists of a grassed area, and the uneven surface does not meet active travel and accessibility standards.

The improvements would replace sections of a grassy surface with a “sturdy, level and accessible path”.

The application adds that the “improved infrastructure will replace the current grass surface with a durable, level, and accessible route, built in accordance with Active Travel (Wales) Act guidance and relevant inclusive design standards”.

Key elements of the work include a widened shared-use corridor suitable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and pushchairs and a “consistent, firm, and slip-resistant surface” to provide year-round accessibility.

The plans also describe “improved gradients and cross-falls” to comply with inclusive mobility design requirements, “enhanced visibility and separation” to ensure user safety, and a “more coherent pedestrian route connecting key destinations within Porthmadog”.

Following a public consultation, some concerns were raised, including “accident risk due to increased use of the route”.

But planners say the proposal will see the creation of a “a public path with seating areas and picnic tables to enjoy the outdoors, which would be accessible for all”.

The proposal would “not cause significant harm to the amenities of the local neighbourhood” nor to “significantly impair the visual amenities of the area”.

Noting that an objection had been received on the grounds of the loss of recreational use of the site, the proposal states “it is not considered that the path would have a significant adverse impact in this regard on existing users of the site”.

Responding to concerns about accidents, the plans stated: “The proposal is not considered likely to cause an uncontrollable hazard, and this proposal does not go beyond the bridge.”

The footpath would be on the outskirts of the town, just off the existing Llyn Bach car park.

It was noted that the area was approximately 220m away from the Pen Llŷn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation.

“On the basis of the reasonable avoidance measures relating to otters, together with measures to avoid pollution during the working period, it is considered that the proposal would be unlikely to have a significant impact on the SAC”.

The recommendation is to approve the application with conditions.

The proposal will come before the council’s planning committee on Monday, March 2, 2026.