Plans approved to extend leisure facilities at ‘beautiful’ coastal park

Dale Spridgeon, local democracy reporter

Planners have given the thumbs up to proposals to extend leisure facilities at a “popular and beautiful” coastal park.

A full application for a footpath and cycle route at Holyhead Breakwater Country Park was approved by Anglesey County Council.

Opened in 1990, the facility is on an old quarry which supplied stone for the 1.5 mile Holyhead Breakwater – the longest in Europe -which was built between 1846 and 1873.

The park includes coastal views, walks, and wildlife and bird watching opportunities, and part of it is in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The scheme will see 12 parking spaces developed, just before the park café, in an area where there are currently only four spaces.

Habitat loss

Planning documents described the proposed car park area as “bramble scrubland,” and to mitigate habitat loss, it proposes the management of wild flower meadows in surrounding fields using ponies for “conservation grazing”.

The existing cycle route ends at the gate entering the park, but the proposal would see an extension of the route, 150m to the west towards the main hub of the park, the planning committee heard at its meeting on Wednesday, February 5.

The gravelled route would be 3m wide, and there would be work to create a pedestrian crossing, remove a sign and vegetation and wild flower planting.

Planning office Rhys Jones said the council had not received any objections.

“It is considered an improvement to this popular attraction by providing more parking spaces, and a safer footpath and cycle path to the site. The recommendation is to approve,” he said.

The work was being paid for by a grant and could start next week, he added.

Planning committee vice chair Cllr Glyn Haynes, the local member, said he had “no objections”.

“I think this is very much needed, especially at peak times and when events are going on there, it is a natural extension to what is already going on there.”

Cllr Robert Llewelyn Jones said: “I am really glad that money is being spent on the country park, at lot of people go there, children go to play there, I support this.”

‘Wonderful park’

Cllr Neville Evans said: “It’s a lovely area. I encourage everyone who hasn’t been there to visit the Breakwater Country Park. I am also 100 percent behind this.”

Chair Cllr Ken Taylor said: “I am sure we all agree, I also go there quite often, it is a beautiful area.”

Cllr Jeff Evans had “no difficulty” supporting the application, saying: “It’s a wonderful park providing a wonderful venue for children, adults and older people, tourists and locals alike.”

But he noted there was “an issue directly in the area” with speed bumps which could be “exacerbated” by the additional parking area.

“I have reported it over the past 18 months, when you go over the speed bumps, they actually scrape the underneath of a car.”

He said, calling for the issues to be noted. The planning officer said it could be raised through the park manager, but was not a planning matter.