PEOPLE living in a national park are furious at a monstrous 8ft high metal fence being put up – without telling anyone.
Families were amazed to see the “build a fence” workers rig up the ring of steel in the Brecon Beacons – also known as Bannau Brycheiniog i Welsh – along a disused quarry road without public consultation.
WNSThe fence was erected out of the blue, say locals[/caption]
WNSIt was put up along a disused quarry road without public consultation[/caption]
WNSIt can be seen for miles around[/caption]
Locals in Clydach and Llanelly Hill in Monmouthshire are outraged at the “monstrous” large fence which can be seen from miles away.
It is around a disused quarry opposite a picturesque valley, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the nearby A465 Heads of the Valleys road.
The road on Gilwern hill has been inaccessible since 2020 following safety concerns over lack of barriers and ongoing landslides caused by the unstable sandstone and limestone quarry below.
But villagers claim that no consultation has taken place over the railings which they say have “ruined” the appearance of their beloved mountain.
John Hunt lodged a formal complaint – and blasted: “How an earth has this been allowed in the National park? What planning approval was there? Why? How’s it supposed to work? How much does it cost?”
He added: “There is local outrage already at this eyesore being allowed in an area of outstanding beauty, it can be seen from the HOV and all around the area.
“I have now measured the height of this fence which exceeds 2 metres everywhere and generally is between 2.1 and 2.2 metres. So it required planning consent under planning rules (greater than 2 metres) but I have been unable to find it on the park’s portal at all.
“However, given the location I would have thought any 400-metre-long structure would require some sort of planning consent anyway.
“Now that the gates have been added, it shows the limited space behind the fence for walkers and certainly inadequate for bikes. And another view from the bottom railway track/cycle path.
“Rough calculations suggest that this has cost at least £40K of our money, when the local roads are full of potholes because there is none to spare.”
While another resident shared: “I noticed lots of work going on last Monday, then saw the fencing while driving home on the Heads of the Valleys late last week.
“The area is a tourist hotspot because of its natural beauty, and there are cliff faces, steep drops and old relics at every corner – this sets a very worrying precedent for the rest of the gorge.
“Surely we should have been consulted, and any fencing should be as inconspicuous as possible?”
Villagers have taken to the local Facebook page to update each other in lieu of any official information, complaining about the design and lack of consultation, with many pointing out the fencing’s ‘inadequacy’.
Linda Lane wrote: “Heritage Site, you’re having a laugh. Absolutely hideous spoilt a beautiful area, National Parks how have you let them get away with this !!!
“If it’s supposed to be unsafe,by the look of that you will be walking on the unsafe side too.”
Thomas Humphreys added: “National Parks… what a joke, they come down on residents like a ton of bricks for painting your windows the wrong colour then allow something like this, shocking!”
While Wayne Elliott shared: “I noted it going up early in the week and e-mailed the local authority as they previously agreed to have open dialogue with the community before further acting in regard to the roads temporary closure.
A spokesperson for Bannau Brycheniog National Park said: “We can confirm we have received an enforcement complaint, and we are investigating it further.”
WNSLocals have lodged complaints[/caption]
WNSThe road on Gilwern hill has been inaccessible since 2020 following safety concerns[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
