Huge row breaks out in Welsh village after 'disgusting' 2m high 'Great Wall' is built to keep people away
Huge row breaks out in Welsh village after 'disgusting' 2m high 'Great Wall' is built to keep people away
The fence has already incurred costs of £40,000 and locals are up in arms, claiming it is harming their mental health and value of their properties
Farmer Wayne Elliot has been battling Monmouthshire council over the road, that is now fenced, off since 2020
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
A towering 2.1 metre high fence erected along the side of a mountain has been labelled the "Great Wall of Clydach" by locals. The steel fence stretches 200 metres along Pwll Du Road, which has been temporarily closed to traffic for five years, and across the face of Gilwern Mountain overlooking Clydach, Monmouthshire.
The area falls within the Bannau Brycheiniog, or Brecon Beacons, National Park and is near the boundary of the internationally recognised UNESCO Blaenavon World Heritage site. At a heated meeting in Clydach Village Hall near Abergavenny residents confronted councillors and officials demanding the removal of the fence despite the council's insistence that access to the road must be restricted due to concerns over potential collapse causing rockfall.
But senior Monmouthshire County Council officials apologised for the abrupt installation of the fence over three days last week without prior notice and for failing to keep the community informed about the future of the road. The council has vowed to address the situation "as soon as practicable".
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A close up of the fence that has been out across the Pwll Du Road on Gilwern Mountain
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
The 2.1m tall steel fence overlooks the village of Clydach in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
During the meeting most attendees signalled their agreement with Llanelly Hill independent councillor Simon Howarth - the meeting's organiser who sought alternative suggestions from locals - by raising hands in support of removing the fence. The fence has already incurred costs of £40,000 for purchase and installation, the meeting heard.
Neighbourhood manager Carl Touhig of Monmouthshire County Council said previous attempts at vehicular restriction of the road via gates and boulders instead of a fence had failed due to damage or removal. Following a 2023 rockfall incident the council initiated an additional study recommending the closure of the road not just to vehicles but also to pedestrians.
With rising concerns over safety since the current road is close to the cliff edge, Mr Touhig warned: "A rockfall could take the whole road out. If someone was on that road and I know I've not made it safe I could be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter, and someone losing their life would be far worse than a prison sentence."
Despite the safety measures locals say motorcyclists have continued to use the road. They have reported people also using the fence to abseil down the rockface of the old quarry.
Former county councillor Martin Thomas expressed his disapproval of the fence, calling it "disgusting". He voiced concerns about the potential for accidents caused by glare from the metal structure on the newly completed A465 below.
He questioned: "What about the visual impact? It could cause the first fatality on the Heads of the Valleys road with people looking up at the glare, that is how bad it is."
Local residents at the meeting to discuss the fence at Clydach Village Hall
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
A view, looking up towards Gilwern Mountain, from Clydach Village Hall with the fence visible towards the top of the the hill
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
Farmer Wayne Elliot, who was part of a court case that determined the council's responsibility for the road, said the council had previously proposed relocating the road further back into the mountain. Mr Elliot, whose farm lies beneath the fence, said: "I used to use it all the time. I'm not worried about it collapsing, it's been there donkey's years. We've been here 30 years and I've used it without any issue at all."
Mr Touhig revealed that the projected cost of reconstructing the road further into the mountain exceeds £1m, a task that would necessitate heavy machinery on unstable terrain. He said: "You can't have farmers going up there to build a road we would adopt. That is not going to happen."
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The head of highways also clarified that planning permission was not required for the fence, although the national park had been notified. This has led to complaints from some residents who are subject to the park's stringent planning regulations.
Questions were raised about the potential impact on a breeding pair of peregrine falcons at the quarry, and concerns voiced about the fence affecting mental health and property values. Cllr Howarth and Monmouthshire council's Labour leader Mary Ann Brocklesby, who also represents the ward, claimed they were not informed in advance about the erection of the fence. Former council leader and current Conservative Senedd Member for Monmouth Peter Fox suggested that the expenditure of £40,000 would necessitate political approval at some point.
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