Alun
Further to the article on the front page of today’s North Wales Pioneer many of us would be grateful if you could clarify a few points: -
What evidence do you have of recent grazing by livestock? To my own recollection, backed up by several others, there has been no grazing on the Bryn for the last 50 years. If no evidence of recent grazing can be provided will a public apology be forthcoming?
There is a record of it being un-grazed in 1972 and it is a guess that it may have been grazed into the 60s, which is what I said to the Pioneer. It was certainly grazed through the 1930-50s.
Why have contractors been used for the last ten years to mow the land, has this been an artificial attempt to promote the calcareous grasslands?
The Bryn is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its calcareous grasslands, which had been maintained by grazing in the past. This interest was being lost by scrubbing over , so since 1996, in partnership with the Countryside Council for Wales, it has been maintained artificially by mowing and raking and cutting back scrub.
If no decision has been made, who will make the decision, what timescales do you have, what public consultation do you intend to carryout, what other alternatives to grazing have you considered?
The Management Advisory Group (MAG) has asked us to look into the feasibility of grazing and we are just at the information gathering stage. The MAG will make any decisions, including the form of public consultation. The alternative to grazing is what we are doing now-mowing and scrub control.
You are quoted as saying grazing will be more environmentally friendly in the long run, what criteria have you used to assess the environmental impact? Have you quantified the carbon footprint of transporting livestock to of from site twice a year, carrying materials to form the ‘paddocks’, transporting feed, visits by the livestock owner to inspect their stock? How does this compare to the limited impact of mowing once a year.
We have not yet assessed the carbon footprint of the two options but it is something that may be looked at as part of the feasibility exercise.
How do you proposed to create paddocks without fences, just gates? Will gates provided be suitable for the disabled and families with pushchairs?
We have not yet looked at the detail of what kind of fences and gates would be required.
Regards the management committee Cllr Edwards is a member of, I would be grateful if you could provide the following: -
· Terms of reference for the committee
When the Local Nature Reserve was established in 1996/97, the Council resolved to establish a Management Advisory Group in order to oversee its development and management. There are no detailed terms of reference, but the MAG has one formal meeting each year to review work over the previous year and plan for future years.
· Full list of members with contact addresses
Cllr. D M Roberts,
9 Allanson Rd,
Rhos on Sea,
Colwyn Bay.
LL28 4HN
Cllr M Thomas
7 Dolphin Court
Horton Drive
Rhos on Sea
LL28 4AW
Cllr R E Parry
220 Dinerth Road
Rhos on Sea
Colwyn Bay
LL28 4UH
Cllr Paul Richards(Town Council)
Awelfan
6 Glyn Avenue
Colwyn Bay
LL29 8RB
Cllr Philip R Edwards
6 Whitehall Road
Rhos on Sea
Colwyn Bay
LL28 4HW
Mr Ken Clarke
Contact Conwy Countryside Service.
Dr. J.Osley / Mr Paul Mitchell
CCW,
Glan y Nant
Unit 19
Mold Business Park
Wrexham Road
Mold
Flintshire
CH7 1XP
Dr M Yates
Plas Carew
Unit 5/7
Cefn Coed
Parc Nant Garw
Cardiff
CF15 7QQ
Mr Chris Martin
Clwyd and Powys Archaeological Trust
7a Church St
Welshpool
Powys
SY21 7DL
· Details of how members are appointed and how concerned and interested members of the public can apply to join the committee
The members of the MAG include the county councillors for Rhos on Sea, representatives from CCW, Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust, CADW, Colwyn Bay Town Council and Colwyn Bay Civic Society and are appointed by invitation. Local people can make representations to the county councillors or town councillors.
· Details of how often the committee meets, date of next meeting, agenda and facilities for members of the public to attend?
The MAG meets formally once a year. This is supplemented by an annual informal site meeting.
· Where can minutes of past meetings be found?
Have attached last minutes. Previous minutes available from Helen Jowett –helen.jowett@conwy.gov.uk.
There are clearly a number of issues which need further investigation and public consultation before any meaningful decision is made, I have listed some below: -
· As you will be aware there is an acute shortage of public open space in Colwyn Bay and it seems at every turn the council is determined to eat into the little which remains. Can you confirm you have considered the loss of the public amenity the open space currently provides? Will the council be providing replacement open space elsewhere?
If it goes ahead there should not be a loss of public open space.
· Has the loss of open space to the proposed allotments been considered before what is left is further eroded?
See above.
· Given there is no recent use of the site for grazing livestock can you provide confirmation from the Planning Committee that Planning permission is not required for ‘change of use’? Please be aware that ‘intensification of use’ is a material ground for the need to apply for Planning permission.
This is to be checked as part of the feasibility exercise.
· Traffic generation, traffic routes, noise generation are all issues which need to be addressed, what size vehicles will transport the proposed livestock, where will they off-load, where will they turn around? Is the track leading up to Llys Euryn Cottage suitable for livestock wagons?
We envisage small numbers of livestock at limited times but we will need to look into this further.
· Has traffic generation the proposed allotments will generate been considered?
The proposed allotment land is not in the control of our department. Traffic generation may well have been considered by our Environmental Services Department in the drafting of the planning application.
· Will a full Environmental Impact Assessment be carried out to support the proposals?
I don’t think one would be required for this scale of project.
· Will a Health and Safety Audit be carried out to identify the increased risks which will be generated and mitigation measures which will be put in place?
Yes, we would need to look at and modify the existing risk assessment.
· Are maps/drawings available showing your proposals in detail? If not I trust they will be made available for public scrutiny as soon as possible?
There are no maps/drwaings yet.
· What will happen to any money made from grazing licenses, will it just go into the council’s central funds or will it be re-invested in the Bryn?
No money will be made from the grazing licences.
· How much will setting up and maintaining these proposals cost in the council’s bureaucratic costs? Can you prove it will actually be cheaper than contractors mowing the grass?
We will be looking at the costs of different options as part of the process.
· Has the use of voluntary workers to control the grass been considered as an alternative?
As it is a big job to mechanically strim and rake the grassland to a high standard involving trained personnel and there is a limited pool of volunteers, we have found it more cost effective to use a contractor.
· We understand the Bryn is managed in trust by Conwy County Council, could you confirm if this is the case? If so can you provide details of any restrictive covenants which are in place? Presumably the Bryn was left as an amenity for the enjoyment and use of the public, is grazing really compatible?
The Bryn is owned by the Council but it does have a covenant. No business use is permitted on the Bryn, which is why we would not charge for any grazing licence.
We trust the council will behave in an appropriate manner, carrying out public consultation and taking on board the concerns of all users of Bryn Euryn?
We will discuss all issues with the MAG, including your concerns. The MAG will make any decisions on what options to pursue and on what form the public consultation should take.
There is a huge groundswell of public opinion against these proposals and should the council not act entirely transparently in this matter we are sure there will be many wishing to take this case to the Local Authority Ombudsman.
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