Plans for holiday park on nature reserve to go ahead despite opposition

Emily Price

An asset management company has announced its purchase of a site on a nature reserve in Anglesey, where it plans to develop a premium holiday park.

The 200-acre site at Penrhos Coastal Park near Holyhead will include a restaurant, leisure amenities, swimming pool, spa, gym, sports pitches and outdoor tennis courts.

The work is currently estimated to completed in five years, with the first lodges due to be available to visitors from summer 2025.

Battle

The Save Penrhos group has battled for several years to protect the site from development.

Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams; broadcaster Carol Vordeman and actress Joanna Lumley have been among those making calls to save it.

The nature reserve was listed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1967 with parts of its 27-acre ancient woodland dating back to the 1700s.

It’s also a conservation area with some parts listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Outline planning permission was granted to developers Developer Land & Lakes back in 2016.

But campaigners argued that planning permission had lapsed and the entire development should be resubmitted for fresh planning consent.

Save Penrhos were able to raise more than £35,000 to fund a judicial review  – but the group lost their High Court case in October last year.

Balance

Asset management company, Seventy Ninth Group has now purchased the site with a promised to deliver “sensitive project development” that “complements the natural environment and native wildlife”.

The company, which has pledged £1 million to local initiatives as part of the project, says the development will provide “millions of pounds of revenue” to the local economy and “create hundreds of jobs”.

Jake Webster, Seventy Ninth Group Managing Director: “We look forward to developing the site into a world-class holiday destination in conjunction with the local community, while ensuring we protect the environment for future generations.

“Our aim is to give families from the UK and visitors from all over the world a chance to experience what this fantastic area has to offer.”

Anglesey Council says “balancing investment with environmental sensitivity” will be important for the project.

Council Leader Gary Pritchard said: “This is a significant potential development in terms of the local economy. The commitment to progress in a sensitive and inclusive manner is welcomed, as is the commitment to engaging with the local community.

“We look forward to working with the Seventy Ninth Group to develop key themes including local employment, supply chain opportunities, sustainability, and safeguarding the Welsh language.”

Annulment

Hilary Paterson-Jones, who fronts the campaign to save the nature reserve, says her group will continues to pursue the annulment of the planning decision through legal means.

She said: “It appears that many individuals originally involved in the Isle of Anglesey Planning may currently have egg on their face.

“From the outset, we expressed concerns that Land and Lakes Company operated primarily as land speculators. Their numerous promises ultimately contributed to divisiveness within our community, while they engaged with the council under misleading pretences.

“The promise of £20 million in the section 106 mitigations for infrastructure has fallen away, yet we are expected to carry on with the offer of £1 million.

“Spread that across our island that is pennies, an insult. We struggle here at present to reach out for NHS services Doctors, Dentists and our local Penrhos Stanley Hodpital.

“The change in ownership does not alter our objectives; our campaign continues to pursue the annulment of this planning decision through legal means.

“We look forward to evaluating the transparency and openness of The Seventy Nine Group. We invite dialogue with our community group to ascertain whether they will demonstrate a different approach than that of Land and Lakes.”