'Disgusting' mountainside fence to be removed after backlash
Monmouthshire County Council, which said it had to take action to stop people accessing the road - which has been closed to traffic on safety grounds for the past five years - has now agreed to replace it, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.The council has said it will use stock fencing instead and the posts at either end of the road, supporting the fence, will be reduced in height.It will also be painted to blend in with the surrounding countryside.
Simon Howarth, independent councillor for Llanelly Hill, said he was pleased with the outcome, but was critical of the council's actions and costs involved, saying "we shouldn't have got here".He said, at a recent meeting held at Clydach Village Hall, the council said it would be going out to tender to remove the fence, but costs would be in the region of £20,000.At a public meeting held in April, the council confirmed the bill for putting up the fence was £40,000.Howarth said: "Overall we are where we should have started, but around £50,000 to £70,000 worse off."The councillor said he was also pleased the council intended to allow access to the backside of the fence, between it and the mountainside, for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as holding talks with farmers and landowners over access for moving stock from the Keeper's Pond end of the mountain road.
A council spokesman said: "Following a positive meeting, the local community and the council agreed with the proposal to reduce the height of the back line of the palisade fencing, replacing it with stock proof fencing and painting the reveals and pillars with a suitable colour to blend in with the landscape."The council had said its previous measures to keep vehicles off the road, including gates and boulders, had failed as they had been damaged or removed, while a rockfall in 2023 had prompted it to commission a further report which suggested the road should be closed to people, as well as vehicles.The report outlined alternatives including new footpaths over the top of the mountain and below the existing road, or rebuilding the road but moving the carriageway further back into the mountain, which the council had said would cost millions of pounds.Farmer Wayne Elliot, who was involved in court action that ruled the council was responsible for the road, previously said he had been battling with the authority since 2020 to get it moved back, claiming "the farmers would help do it, they'd get it done in a week".But a council spokesperson shut down this suggestion, saying it was "not going to happen".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Cardiff Capital Region wants action on Severn Bridge limit
Vehicles weighing 7.5 tonnes and more have been barred from crossing the bridge, that spans the Severn from Aust to Chepstow, since Tuesday, May 27 and Monmouthshire County Council has warned it fears firms could relocate from Chepstow without continued easy access to the motorway network. Now members of the Cardiff Capital Region, which is the joint committee for the 10 unitary authorities in South East Wales, say they will look to support Monmouthshire's calls for a solution. Councillor Robert Bevan, who chairs its overview and scrutiny committee, promised to 'take the issue up' after it was raised at its meeting this week. The Labour member of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: 'Time is of the essence, we can't wait. I can certainly say I will take this up further and see what we can do.' He said the M48 bridge, at Chepstow, as well as the M4 and the Prince of Wales Bridge is a vital connection for the region's economy and key industries: 'We must emphasise it's not just Monmouthshire that will feel the impact but the rest of South Wales will feel it as well. 'We have deliveries come from the Midlands area, there's lots of companies in the automotive sector and aerospace which is built around Severnside and Filton.' Simon Griffiths, Labour councillor for Bridgend, noted the long term solution to strengthen the 1960s built suspension bridge's cables is estimated to cost between £300 million to £600m. He said it needed to be the 'top regional transport priority' for the body whose main functions are planning transport across the region and how land is used as well as growing the economy, including the Western Gateway project that involves councils across South Wales and the south west of England. Cllr Griffiths said: 'This really could damage any growth we see in South Wales.' Monmouthshire council's Labour representative on the body, Chepstow member Armand Watts who raised the bridge restriction at the meeting, said it's estimated up to 2,500 jobs in the town could be impacted. He also said the weight limit has scuppered plans for the Severnside area in Wales to rival the economic growth seen on the English bank. 'We had the opportunity to replicate what they've done in South Gloucestershire and Bristol where there are 9,000 jobs. I would say that's an economic hotspot.' Cllr Watts also complained the South East Wales Trunk Road Agency has 'not said anything publicly' about the weight limit and said it has been down to Monmouthshire to argue its case with the UK Government, which is responsible for both bridges over the Severn via National Highways. 'Our cabinet member was given 15 minutes with the junior minister, the minister for future highways, and that's it,' said Cllr Watts who also complained a working group has been set up 'without any elected members to decide our future.' Cllr Watts, who represents Bulwark and Thornwell, said his ward is only nine miles from the M4/M5 interchange, north of Bristol, which he said should allow it to benefit from the city's economic growth and said: 'I really hope you can show some solidarity with poor old Monmouthshire on this.' National Highways has previously said it is anticipated the weight restriction is expected to be in place for 12 to 18 months as a short term measure while it considers how it could allow vehicles over 7.5 tonnes to cross the bridge in a managed system as a medium-term solution.
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Torfaen council leader hasn't ruled out a tourism tax
The Senedd has passed legislation that will allow each local authority in Wales to introduce a tourist tax if it wishes in the form of an additional charge per person per night booking overnight accommodation from campsites to luxury hotels. Newport City Council has already ruled out the charge while Monmouthshire County Council's Labour leadership has said it has no plans to do so during the existing council term. But Torfaen Borough Council leader Anthony Hunt would only say his council would follow the process, set out in the legislation approved by the Senedd in July, which requires a consultation before a charge is introduced. If every council in Wales agreed to introduce the charge it's estimated it could raise as much as £33m a year to invest in services and infrastructure to support tourism. Independent councillor Nick Horler, who represents Blaenavon which is a World Heritage site recognised by United Nations cultural body UNESCO, asked Cllr Hunt if Torfaen would be introducing the tourist tax. Cllr Horler said: 'While the earliest it could potentially start is in April 2027 it would be good to understand Torfaen council's position.' Cllr Hunt replied: 'Torfaen council will follow the process set out by the Welsh Government when the bill received royal assent. The first stage of that is to run a consultation process to get the views of the sector in Torfaen.' The tax, officially known as a visitor levy, will introduce a £1.30 per visitor per night charge on overnight stays with the rate for hostels and campsites set at 75 pence per visitor, per night. There would be an exception for under 18s staying at hostels and campsites only.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- The Guardian
Trump's Unesco withdrawal is part of a broader assault on democracy
Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States a second time from what is essentially the beacon of global culture and heritage – Unesco – is depressing but unsurprising given the administration's lack of respect for art and culture that celebrates the diversity of humanity in all of its fullness. But it is still a grave error of moral leadership that harms the United States' global standing on free expression, human rights and democracy. Earlier this year, he initiated a takeover of the Kennedy Center's programming and content, and linked National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants to highly partisan ideological conditions. Meanwhile, the government's attempts at censorship in schools are all but rewriting American history. Trump has also systematically removed the United States from global obligations connected to health, human rights and the betterment of society. This includes withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN human rights council (UNHRC) and in effect the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was only a matter of time before Unesco – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – came under fire, representing as it does everything the Trump White House rails against. Unesco's chief was unsurprised, saying that since the last time Trump was in power and pulled the US out of the organization, they had reduced their reliance on US funding significantly and would be carrying on with its mission. Why, then, does this withdrawal matter? Surely it can be chalked up to another strong-arm tactic designed to make headlines and give the administration some more 'America First' policies to boast about. Unfortunately, when it comes to culture, it is not that simple. Culture comes under fire when democracy is dying. Russia's imprisonment of writers, artists and cultural figures who question official narratives about the war on Ukraine; or the Taliban's destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas – these are examples of how culture becomes both a target and a battleground because it represents identity, memory and freedom of thought – the very things authoritarianism seeks to control or erase. What the US administration has dismissed as 'woke' is actually Unesco preserving democratic ideals, teaching the world valuable lessons based in history and protecting artistic freedom – all things that autocrats see as a threat to their ability to control the narrative. It is no small irony that the organization's recognition of Palestine has also been used as an excuse for the withdrawal, when Unesco is one of the leaders of Holocaust education in the world, and Palestine itself is suffering near total cultural obliteration. It would be a grave error for the United States not to recognize that Trump's disdain for cultural preservation is part of a broader assault on human rights, democracy, free expression and artistic freedom. It is a story repeated across the world and throughout time. It is notable that one of the few countries to also withdraw from Unesco was South Africa, which withdrew in 1955 in protest against Unesco's stance against apartheid. During this period of isolation, the apartheid government intensified its control over culture and education, seeking to tightly control the narrative in South Africa and globally about its discriminatory policies. There is still time to reverse this decision. PEN America, which defends free expression worldwide and ARC, the Artists at Risk Connection that protects artistic freedom, urge Congress to oppose this latest move to further isolate the United States globally, and ensure that the country continues to fulfill its international human rights obligations. US funders and foundations should also increase support to writers, journalists and media outlets, artists and cultural institutions, and free expression advocates in countries affected by the shutdown of US foreign assistance. By working with Unescoto commemorate sites of apartheid resistance when it rejoined in 1994, South Africa has shown how global engagement can honor truth and build inclusive memory; the United States, by contrast, risks forfeiting that same moral leadership by retreating from the very institution that makes such progress possible. Liesl Gerntholtz is the managing director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America. Julie Trebault is executive director of the Artists at Risk Connection
