Scallop Dredging Ban Proposed

The National Assembly has launched a consultation into scallop dredging which recommends banning or dramatically reducing the activity in much of Cardigan Bay.

Scallop fishing has become extremely controversial in recent years with large scallop trawlers clunking and scraping their way across the sea bed, scouring everything in their path. It’s reported that for every kilogram of scallops caught, 14kg of other species is destroyed at the same time. Scallops are now fetching £1865 per tonne, the demand recently being boosted by the recipes of celebrity chefs.

Cardigan Bay has two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), designated because of the variety of animal and plant life. The Cardigan Bay SAC stretches from Moylgrove in North Pembrokeshire up to Aberarth in Ceredigion. The Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau SAC runs from Clarach, just north of Aberystwyth, round to Nefyn on the north side of Pen Llyn. At present around two thirds of these SACs are used for dredging.

The consultation proposes banning dredging in these areas and limiting the size of dredgers and their equipment everywhere else in time for the next dredging season starting on November 1st.

The consultation, being run by the Assembly's Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Elin Jones, can be found at: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/3256249/?lang=en

LLanbadarn Bypass Disappears

In news that will delight local environmentalists, the proposed Llanbadarn Fawr Bypass near Aberystwyth has slipped off the National Assembly's radar altogether in their latest National Transport Plan.

The plan, released last week, lists all planned major transport projects in Wales until 2014. The Llanbadarn Bypass has been the most campaigned for road project in the Aberystwyth area over the years and does seem to have the support of the majority of people in Llanbadarn village which has to cope with 19,000 vehicles passing through each day. It was planned to run from near the Parc y Llyn roundabout on the outskirts of the town to the Glanyrafon junction on the A44. However, despite generally prioritising north-south road links, the Assembly's Trunk Road Agency believe that the improvements made to the Llanbadarn junction in 2006, in which two mini-roundabouts were installed along with pedestrian refuguges, should be able to cope with projected traffic growth up to at least 2019.

Despite the weight of support for the project locally, I've always been extremely sceptical that any benefits brought by a bypass could be worth the destruction of so much greenfield space alongside the river Rheidol. Although the traffic congestion through Llanbadarn can seem bad by Aberystwyth standards, it is still relatively mild and short-lived when compared to other traffic hotspots across Wales. Bypasses are also known for ultimately creating more road traffic.

One benefit of the bypass plan has been the safeguarding of the proposed route against other developments. If Ceredigion Council gives up on the project entirely this land may become vulnerable to development, although flood risk may still help to prevent this.

The only mentions of Ceredigion in Wales's National Transport Plan are a very welcome promise to introduce hourly rail services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury by 2011 and further work on the Ceredigion Link Road between Synod Inn and Carmarthen.

The plan is being consulted on until October 12th. It can be seen at:

http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/transport/ntp/?lang=en

Bronglais Expansion Back on Track After Council Supports Park & Ride

Bronglais Hospital's Front-of-House extension is back on track after Ceredigion Council's Development Control Committee gave the go ahead to the linked Park & Ride scheme on Clarach Road once there's been agreement on minimising how the proposed subdued lighting will affect the local bat population. Despite 40 objections from people keen to save the field due to be used for the scheme, the committee felt that the risk of losing the hospital extension altogether was so great that they voted overwhelmingly to allow planning permission.

Although objectors suggested more suitable sites for the scheme, NHS executives had been making it clear for some time that the funding window is running out and any more delays would be very likely to result in the allocated £34 million going elsewhere as the NHS braces itself for major cuts in the next few years. Members of the Development Control Committee are used to developers pleading urgency in this way but NHS insiders have been becoming increasingly agitated that this threat is for real. There are senior NHS executives in south Wales who would be only too delighted to have the Bronglais money - the biggest capital project in Hywel Dda Trust - re-allocated to their own pet projects. The potentially catastrophic effects of losing the project - closure of the current sub-standard theatres, leading to the loss of A & E and the downgrading of the whole hospital - was a risk the committee were simply not prepared to take. Two years ago several hundred people marched around Aberystwyth campaigning for the hospital's status to be maintained.

Council Highways officers have for some time been looking for Park & Ride sites for both the north and south of Aberystwyth in an attempt to reduce morning queues into the town. Slow-moving traffic is the most carbon-intensive form of car use. The search for a similar site to the south is ongoing.

Other Aberystwyth planning issues decided:

The major extension to the Llety Parc Hotel in Llanbadarn has been put on hold again after the Environment Agency expressed serious concerns about flooding. Planning officers had recommended outright refusal of the application but councillors sympathetic to the locally-run business argued for more time to discuss a way of managing the risk. Council legal officers said that allowing the application without a proper flood risk plan would leave the Council, and maybe individual councillors, liable for damages in the event of a flood.

An innovative extension to Ysgol Plas Crug with strong sustainability credentials, including a turf roof, has been agreed.

Assembly Consulting on Charging for Plastic Bags

Ceredigion's Assembly Member Elin Jones has urged local residents to respond to a consultation launched this week by the One Wales Government on plans to reduce the availability of free single-use plastic bags in Wales .

The Assembly's Environment Minister, Jane Davidson AM, this week announced that she's seeking views on a proposal to introduce a charge for single-use plastic bags in Wales . In particular, the Minister wants views on what types of bags should be included in a scheme and how much retailers should charge for bags.

Elin Jones said:
“Despite positive steps being taken by many supermarkets to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic bags given out in the UK , we still have a long way to go to reduce the environmental impact of these bags – especially since they take hundreds of years to decompose.

“I hope Ceredigion residents will provide their views on these proposals in order to ensure any resulting legislation strikes the most appropriate balance between meeting the needs of consumers and protecting the environment”.

This is an issue that many people in Aberystwyth have campaigned on but, because local councils don't have the power to enforce a policy if this kind, it's proved very difficult to make progress. Only towns like Totnes in Devon, with an unusually large number of independent, green-minded businesses, have succeeded in getting a voluntary town-wide agreement to eradicate free plastic bags. The Assembly, on the other hand, now has the power to use the Climate Change Act 2008 so it's at this level that we're most likely to get some action.

Details of the consultation and how to take part are here:

http://www.adjudicationpanelwales.org.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/singleusecarrierbags/;jsessionid=J2hnKJZdrH2G0BGT2T4m9xs0bT2rnsnpg7M2Vb8vC56ZjsK9Sqfl!-1895006922?lang=en&ts=4

Aberystwyth Night Time Economy Project Saved

Aberystwyth Town Council this week saved the town's Night Time Economy Project when it agreed to give the scheme a grant of £14,000. The scheme had been running for the past year and was judged to be very successful at curbing the alcoholic excesses that often cause town residents and the police so much trouble at night. But funding streams had dried up and the project was in danger of folding completely. £14,000 is a very large grant for the Town Council but, judging from complaints regularly received from residents, the cost was felt to be justified as helping to provide the kind of practical help that people living in the town are requesting.

The scheme looks at the night time economy as a whole and works with everyone involved – drinkers, landlords, the university, taxi drivers, the ambulance service and the police - in helping to reduce the harm caused by alcohol to both local residents and drinkers themselves whilst still encouraging the town to be a vibrant place at night. This includes broadening out what’s on offer to include entertainment not involving alcohol.

The scheme can now carry on for another year and, whilst Aberystwyth will remain the focus of its operations, will also be extended to other towns in Ceredigion.

The Hogarth painting above depicts a typical night time scene in Aberystwyth prior to the commencement of the Night Time Economy Project.

Council Leader Losing Authority

The authority of Ceredigion Council Leader Keith Evans was severely dented today when several members of his own ruling Independent/Lib Dem group failed to support him in a whole series of votes.

The first of the votes in today’s Full Council meeting was to overturn the Council Cabinet’s attempt to close Syr John Rhys school in Ponterwyd. With 30 applauding demonstrators in the public gallery, the Council voted against the Independent Leader’s wishes and for a stay of execution for the school in order to review the situation in a year when the effect on the school population of possible new houses in Ponterwyd can be assessed.

There was then a narrow victory for the ruling coalition on exploring partnerships with the private sector to provide future council engineering services. But this was only because members of the group who had spoken against the idea mistakenly abstained when it came to the vote.

Next was a series of votes on the new Council building in Aberystwyth. Councillors voted unanimously that the name of the road leading to the building should be Rhodfa Padarn, in Welsh only, despite the Leader's insistence in Cabinet two weeks ago that it should be a bilingual Rhodfa Rheidol/Rheidol Avenue.

Lastly, more trivially but most symbolically of all, the Council voted against the Leader opening the new building and in favour of the Chair, Ivor Williams, doing it instead. Not even a plea from the Chair himself that Keith Evans should be allowed to conduct the opening could persuade councillors to vote for their Leader.

The sight of both Lib Dems and Independents on Ceredigion Council voting with the opposition Plaid Cymru group against their own Council Leader is highly unusual and marks a dramatic change in attitude amongst several members of the ruling group. It's clear that there's disatisfaction in the ranks with the leadership. With the ruling group and opposition already tightly balanced, it looks as if the days of votes on Ceredigion Council being a foregone conclusion are over.

Dire Warning for Future Council Finances

Ceredigion Councillors have been given a dire warning about the prospects for local government finances in the next few years when the repayment of debts caused by the government bailout of banks will hit the public sector harder than anything in living memory.

A report by Council Officers on a presentation at the recent Welsh Local Government Association Conference quoted the economist Will Hutton when he said,
“There is a problem hanging over British politics so big and so ugly that no party wants to acknowledge it, far less discuss it: how far do we cut spending and how high do we raise taxes?”

The Institute of Fiscal Studies has estimated that public services will lose an estimated £45 billion from 2011-14. Individual Councils could lose £60 million. Councillors were told, “We’re not living in the real world if we claim that all these problems can be solved by greater efficiency. 80% of Local Authority funding is in education and social care. Just cutting the other 20% will not provide the answers”.

Torfaen Council’s Chief Executive has said, “There simply will not be enough money for local authorities to keep doing what they have been doing up until now”. It's thought that 2000 jobs could be lost in the public sector in Wales. The particular problem for Ceredigion is that the formulas for allocating finances are population-centric.

The presentation was watched keenly by councillors of all persuasions. Although Ceredigion Council is currently run by a coalition of Independents and Lib Dems, the serious financial shortfall will have to be managed by whoever is running Ceredigion from 2011. The next Council elections are due in 2012. Plaid Cymru, who are the largest group on the Council and have only two councillors less than the ruling coalition, are strongly fancied to take over then after building up their councillor base for many years.

In looking for ways to tackle the crisis, Rhodri Morgan, Leader of the National Assembly, has (quite rightly in my view) ruled out local government re-organisation, saying that this would be a distraction. Instead, the emphasis is on Councils finding efficiencies of scale by working together.

Bay Hotel Closes

The Bay Hotel on Aberystwyth Prom has closed its doors for the last time after Brains, the Cardiff-based brewers, abruptly shut the place this week. Brains say the reason for the closure is lack of profit but regulars there find this hard to believe.

Some town centre residents, kept awake at night by drinkers returning home, will be glad to see a late-opening pub close. But, despite having a license to open till 4am, the Bay actually had a reputation as the most trouble-free of the town's late night drinking and dancing venues due to its strict door and behaviour policy. The pub, with a capacity of 650, was an institution amongst the town's student population and the real impact of the closure won't be felt until September when students return from their summer holidays.

The building is owned by Ceredigion Council who leased it to Brains. It is now almost certain to be added to the list of Council buildings in the town being sold.

The Save the Bay / Achub y Bae Facebook group can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=Save+the+Bay+&init=q&sid=d2f6c6a54ece5e7271b09b23809d20c4#/group.php?gid=108815069392

Mentro Lluest Open Day

Mentro Lluest, the organic plant nursery and training centre for people with special needs is holding an open day on Saturday 27th June. The centre is on a 3-acre site near the top of Primrose Hill at Waun Fawr, north of Aberystwyth. It's run as a charity and is a centre of excellence for teaching organic growing and environmental sustainability.

http://www.mentrolluest.org/en/about

Aldi Exhibition Announced

An exhibition (I hesitate to call these things a consultation, though that's what it'll probably be billed as) of plans for a new Aldi supermarket and hotel on Aberystwyth's old Quick Save site in Park Avenue has been announced.

The exhibition will be at the Canolfan Morlan on the corner of Queens Road on Wednesday 8th July from 2 - 6pm. Meanwhile a basic version of the plans is on display in the foyer of Aberystwyth Town Hall in Queens Road.

Aldi's labour-saving corporate shelf stacking style can be seen above. Hmmn...

See blog on 17/5/08 for more info.

Welsh Teachers Union opens new HQ in Aberystwyth

The Welsh Teaching Union UCAC officially opened their new offices at the foot of Penglais Hill in Aberystwyth today in front of an invited audience of 60 people.

UCAC - Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru - were previously housed at Pen Roc opposite Aberystwyth Pier. Their new venue, known as Havelock Villa, was once a residential home but had been converted into flats and had severely deteriorated, creating an eyesore on this entranceway to Aberystwyth. UCAC’s tasteful refurbishment has restored the house to its former glory.

UCAC: http://www.athrawon.com/Main/Default.aspx

Something for Ceredigion to be proud of

A snippet from the Euro-election result and something for us to be proud of here - at just 2.72% Ceredigion had the lowest percentage of BNP voters in Wales. I haven't got the figures for the UK but suspect we may well be the lowest, or almost, there as well. Ceredigion also had the second lowest UKIP vote in Wales.

Aberystwyth included in new UN Biosphere

Aberystwyth has been included in the new United Nations 'Biosphere' centred around the Dyfi Valley, it was announced yesterday by Assembly Environment Minister Jane Davidson in Machynlleth.

The Biosffer Dyfi/Dyfi Biosphere ranks alongside a total of 531 sites across 105 different countries including, somewhat improbably, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Niagara Falls in Canada and Mount Olympus in Greece.

Biosphere Reserves are areas designated under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to serve as places for experimenting with and learning about different approaches to environmental sustainability. The communities that live in the area, including their culture and economy, are considered integral to this.

Although not part of the core Biosphere area, Aberystwyth is included as part of the 'Transition Zone' after a consultation exercise last year found widespread support for the idea. The precise benefits of the status are still unclear. However, it will almost certainly result in increased grant funding for projects and developments that make a contribution to environmental sustainability. Over time this could add real substance to the area's green reputation.

A map of the Dyfi Biosphere can be seen here:
http://www.biosfferdyfi.org.uk/u/File/Zonation%20Map%20Biosffer%20Dyfi%20Biosphere%20Dec%202008.pdf

More details here: http://www.biosfferdyfi.org.uk/

Euro-election results - Plaid on top in Ceredigion as Tories win across Wales

Wales Result - top four elected
1/ Ceidwadwyr/Conservative 145,193 (21.2% - up 1.8%)
2/ Llafur/Labour 138,852 (20.3% - down 12.2%)
3/ Plaid Cymru 126,702 (18.5% - up 1.1%)
4/ UKIP 87,585 (12.8% - up 2.3%)
5/ Dem Rhyd/Lib Dems 73,082 (10.7% - up 0.2%)
6/ Gwyrdd/Green 38,160 (5.6% - up 2%)
7/ BNP 37,114 (5.4% - up 2.5%)
8/ Christian Party 13,037 (1.9%)
9/ Socialist Labour 12,402 (1.8%)
10/ No2EU 8,600 (1.3%)
11/ Jury Party 3,793 (0.6%)

The top four parties will send MEPs to Brussels. Our new Euro-MPs are:
Kay Swinburne (Ceidwadwyr/Conservative)
Derek Vaughan (Llafur/Labour)
Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)
John Bufton (UKIP)

Jill Evans is the only sitting MEP to stay on.

This is the first time the Tories have ever won in Wales and the first time Labour haven't won a Wales-wide election since 1918. It's the first time UKIP have had any representation in Wales at all.

The Ceredigion section of the result went like this (top six only - diolch i blog Penri James):
1/ Plaid Cymru 6,725
2/ Liberal Democrats 3,642
3/ Conservative 2,869
4/ UKIP 1,755
5/ Green 1,481
6/ Labour 1,329

Plaid's big lead here will give them a major boost as a General Election approaches. On this showing, albeit with a relatively small turnout, the Conservatives look to be challenging the Lib Dems for second place. The Greens will be delighted to have beaten Labour.

A press release from Elin Jones, Plaid's AM for Ceredigion, said,

"This is a very strong result for Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion and the party is now in pole position to recapture Ceredigion at the forthcoming General Election – especially since we polled nearly twice the votes the Lib Dems received. Nationally, Plaid Cymru’s vote increased by one per cent and I congratulate Jill Evans on her re-election as MEP. I'm now looking forward to co-operating with Jill so that she can continue her work on a European level on behalf of Ceredigion voters, which includes campaigning against the introduction of electronic tagging, improving the rights of workers, tackling climate change and ensuring a viable future for the fishing industry”.

Nant y Moch Windfarm Plans Launched

A series of public exhibitions will be held later this month to give people in the area a chance to look at proposals for a major new windfarm in the Cambrian Mountains between Talybont and Nant y Moch.

The developers, Airtricity, the renewable energy division of Scottish & Southern Electricity, are hoping to apply for planning permission early next year. Because of the size of the proposals (60-80 turbines), the decision will ultimately be made by the Westminster government's Department of Energy and Climate Change rather than Ceredigion and Powys Councils, as would be the case with a smaller development. However Councils, including local Community Councils, will be consulted.

The developers say the windfarm would provide enough electricity for 65,000 homes, i.e. roughly twice the number of homes in Ceredigion. The proposal is bound to be controversial, not least among environmentalists, who are split down the middle on the windfarms issue.

The exhibitions, with project officials present for questioning, will be at:
Ysgol Syr John Rhys, Ponterwyd, on 16 June 5-8pm
Y Plas, Machynlleth on 17 June 11am-2pm
Ystafell Haearn, Ffwrnais / Iron Room, Furnace, on 17 June 5-8pm
Neuadd Penrhyn-coch, on 18 June 2-8pm
Neuadd Goffa Talybont, 19 June 2-8pm

More details of the plans (from the developers' point of view) can be found at: http://www.nantymochwindfarm.com/home.html

Vote Plaid in Euros urges Monbiot

George Monbiot, one of the UK's most respected environmentalists, has today urged people in Wales to vote for Plaid Cymru and Jill Evans (pictured) in tomorrow's European Elections.

Writing in the Guardian about voting choices for green-minded people, Monbiot, who lives in Machynlleth, says,

"Living in Wales, the choice isn't hard for me. Plaid Cymru, in its present incarnation, is a green, progressive, effective political force. I see little point in splitting the vote between parties with politics like mine, and while the Green candidates appear to be likeable people, they are always going to be playing catch-up here."

Meanwhile, in a further endorsement by the green movement, the lobby group Protecting Animals in Democracy have given Jill Evans, Plaid's sitting Euro MP, top marks in her voting record on animal rights in the European Parliament.

The group says,

"Congratulations and thanks to Jill Evans, PC's MEP in Wales, for scoring a perfect +15 in her votes on animal experimentation. It might be worth considering voting for them in Wales for tactical reasons as the best party with a good chance of winning a seat."

The scores given to all parties are listed here. They were judged on their voting record in the European Parliament using a range of scores between -15 and +15:

Plaid Cymru +15

Greens +15

Labour +7.95

Lib Dems +3.55

UKIP +1.38

SNP -6.5

Conservatives -13.07

George Monbiot article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/jun/03/george-monbiot-european-elections

Protecting Animals in Democracy: http://www.vote4animals.org.uk/euroelection2009.htm

Council Officers expect new plans for town centre in, "Weeks, not months" but Cabinet refuses to rule out CPOs

Ceredigion Economic Development officers today told the Council's Cabinet that work on a new scheme for Aberystwyth town centre was well advanced and that they expected something to be produced, "within weeks rather than months".

The officers were presenting a new report to the Cabinet following the abandonment of a scheme, after unprecedented public pressure, which would have resulted in the demolition of sixteen small shops in the town centre. The news about the timescale was based on contact with the developer yesterday. Officers pointed out that it was in the developer's own financial interests to move forward as soon as possible.

Since the controversial plans were first put forward many residents and businesses in the area feel their properties have been blighted with at least one house sale having fallen through and other owners putting off painting or renovating buildings for fear of them being compulsorily purchased.

However Cabinet Member for Economic Development Eurfyl Evans denied that properties were blighted. And when Plaid Cymru group leader Ellen ap Gwynn asked for an assurance that CPOs would not be used, Council Leader Keith Evans replied, "I can't give a guarantee that CPOs will not be used in the future".

The officers' report shows that chain shops in the town centre also opposed the original plans as well as many local businesses and individuals. Clarks, Clinton Cards and Dollond & Aitchison all wrote letters of objection.

The report ends, "The private sector developer has been invited to reassess all the options and to bring forward a development scheme recognising, as much as possible, the concerns that have been expressed. The developer has also been requested to undertake public consultations before the County Council can consider the value of any redevelopment scheme and any actions for the Authority to pursue". The report was accepted by the Cabinet.

One strong possibility is that the developer will now come back with a much more modest scheme.

The Economic Development Department's report to the Council Cabinet can be seen here: http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=12651 Click on Swyddfa Bost / Post Office.

Gwyl Werdd Aber / Aber is Green

Cliciwch i ehangu / Click to enlarge

The Aber is Green Festival / Gwyl Werdd Aber runs for five days at the Bandstand on the Prom from next Wednesday 10th June through to Sunday 14th. It aims to draw together all that is environmentally friendly and sustainable in Aberystwyth and around. There will be workshops, exhibitions, information exchange, music and entertainment, all free.

The full, packed timetable can be seen here: http://www.aberisgreen.org.uk/

Cerys Charms Aber

Cerys Matthews charmed a crowd of around 2000 people in the grounds of Aberystwyth Castle last night at this year's Castell Rock festival.

Concerns that the site may not be able to cope with the numbers - a record for the festival - dissolved as Cerys's brand of mellow, feelgood country rock left everyone smiling and the organisers happy with a gamble that had paid off. Her band ended a perfect day in the sun for the large crowd who had watched a succession of mainly local acts throughout the day. The event was being held for the sixth year and was free with donations collected for the charity Debra.

A link to 70 more pictures of the day is here, including Nik Turner, Who Saw Who, Violetones, Rogues and Convoi Exceptionnel:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24136983@N07/sets/72157618965618419/

A few of these have made it to the BBC Mid Wales website at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/aberystwyth/pages/castellrock_2009.shtml?1

Debra Charity: http://www.debra.org.uk/

Castell Rock website: http://castellrock.co.uk/

Ceredigion Councillors Expenses Released

Ceredigion Council has released details of councillors' expenses for the past year after being contacted by local media eager to find a Ceredigion equivalent of the Westminster expenses scandal.

So firstly, I have some owning up to do. Here, for the first time, are this councillor's full, audited, itemised expenses for the past year:

£0

Nope, nothing at all. And I'm in good company. Of the 42 Ceredigion councillors there are ten others who have claimed no expenses. They are:

Rob Gorman (Plaid Cymru)

Aled Davies (Plaid Cymru)

Rhodri Davies (Plaid Cymru)

Dai Suter (Plaid Cymru)

Odwyn Davies (Plaid Cymru)

Owen Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru)

Elizabeth Evans (Lib Dem)

Mark Cole (Lib Dem)

Sarah Hopley (Independent)

Peter Davies (Independent)

Non-claimers include all three Plaid councillors in Aberystwyth.

I'll let other media outlets dig around for scandal amongst those claiming but, just to let you know roughly what kind of figures we're talking about, the total expense bill for councillors since last May's elections is £40,154 with the highest claimer being Council Leader Keith Evans at £3572, mainly spent on travel. I'm not his biggest fan but clearly the role of Council Leader has to entail getting around the County a bit.

Whilst travel comprises the bulk of the claims much of this is self-explanatory, i.e. those at the furthest ends of the county or on the Cabinet claim the most. So, although small by comparison, it may be the petty claims for meals at Penmorfa's already inexpensive canteen that provide the best anecdotes for the press. I understand one local paper has requested access to full receipts so they should have an interesting time sorting through piles of chits for quiche, chips and peas from the Council cafeteria.