OCTOBER 2022
Volunteers are needed for Paths to wellbeing sessions.
For North East(Wrexham; Llanfynydd- Flintshire; Pwll Glas- Denbighshire) please drop Heather a message so she can provide up to date information.
JUNE 2022:
Friends of Cefn-yr-Ogof have agreed to remove the castle itself and the formal gardens from the claim for TAVG (Village Green) status - a reasonable compromise - if the claim for TAVG succeeds.
APRIL 2022:
Gwyrch Castle Preservation Trust is proposing to stop free public access to an area of woodland which has been used for recreation for many decades by the communities of Aberergele, Llanddulas and Rhyd y Foel. A petition has been launched to persuade the Trust to reconsider their proposal. If you wish to support the petition follow this link: https://chng.it/cMgKpQ8P
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JUNE 2022:
DEGANWY UPDATE:
In the latest newsletter (June 2022) we reported a significant event in this long-running saga. Network Rail had applied to Conwy Council for an order extinguishing public rights over the level crossing. This would have meant the public footpath linking the foreshore and the estuary shared route (which is also the Welsh Coast Path) with Glan y Mor Road being lost for ever. Ramblers joined local residents, the MP and Coun. Mike Priestley in arguing against extinguishment. We believe that neither Network Rail nor Conwy Council officers had properly considered all possible alternative measures to make the crossing safer for the public, including warning lights, re-siting the crossing or installing a bridge.
When the application came before Conwy’s General Licensing Committee in February members accepted the case made by the objectors and refused the Network Rail application.
In April 2022 Network Rail applied to Welsh Ministers for a second bite at the cherry, asking for an extinguishment order under the same provisions as were the subject of the application to Conwy Council.
Welsh Ministers refused this latest application in late May, just after our newsletter went to press. Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, said in his letter to Network Rail “I would ask that Network Rail engage meaningfully with CCBC, local stakeholders and Transport for Wales to develop a solution for crossing the rail at this or a nearby location that meets everyone’s needs and requirements.”
TIMELINE:
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March 2011 |
Level Crossing (grid ref SH786784) linking Glan y Mor Rd to estuary / coast path was closed by Network Rail. |
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Jan 2014 |
An application was lodged by Guto Bebb MP and Cllr Mike Priestley to have the crossing registered as public footpath. |
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March 2016 |
Conwy Council made an Order adding the path to the Definitive Map. Network Rail objected. |
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May 2019 |
A Public Inquiry was held in Llandudno Junction. The applicants, Ramblers and others argued in support of the Order. |
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July 2019 |
The Inquiry Inspector decided that there had been a public right of way over the crossing since the railway was constructed in the 1850s. |
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Aug 2019 |
Network Rail (‘NR’) applied to the High Court to have the Inspector’s decision overturned. |
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July 2020 |
His Hon Judge Jarman Q.C. dismissed the NR application. The inquiry Inspector’s decision, confirming that the level crossing was a public path, stands. |
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Aug 2020 |
NR applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal. |
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Dec 2020 |
Permission to appeal against the High Court decision was refused by Lord Justice Lewison. |
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March 2021 |
NR applied to Conwy Council to have the level crossing footpath extinguished under s.118A Highways Act 1980. |
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Jan 2022 |
Conwy Council’s Gen Licensing Committee refused NR’s application for an extinguishment order. |
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April 2022 |
NR applied to Welsh Ministers for extinguishment under s.118A. |
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May 2022 |
Welsh Ministers refused NR’s application stating “It would not be appropriate to override CCBC’s decision to not authorise the making of order to extinguish the Public Footpath.” |