Beauty spot overwhelmed with volunteers after fallout from holiday park firm's administration

Wales Online

5 days ago

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Local residents have offered to help with the maintenance of an Anglesey beauty spot now that its owners have entered administration. Campaigners were worried the picturesque Penrhos Coastal Park could deteriorate but volunteers have flooded in from nearby Holyhead.
The overwhelming response followed the loss of a contractor that had managed the picturesque site for 25 years. Kehoe Countryside, from Talybont in Gwynedd, was told its services were no longer needed by DJC Leisure, a 79th Group subsidiary that, in January, acquired 18 parcels of Penrhos CP land from former site owner Land and Lakes.
On May 2 the Southport-based company was placed in administration. In an online message to the Penrhos supporters, Kehoe Countryside claimed it was owed more than £23,000 and its Penrhos wardens hadn't been paid.
Since 2011, the 200-acre coastal park has been at the centre of a bitter planning dispute after consent was awarded for almost 500 luxury lodges, bars and a 'tropical swimming pool'. DJC Leisure had announced a £250 million development starting this summer but the company's collapse into administration, allied to a police investigation, has placed the park's future in limbo.
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Keen to ensure the park's bins were emptied, a plea was issued for local volunteers. 'I had private messages through the night, it was incredible,' said Penrhos stalwart Hilary Paterson-Jones. 'As well as offers to help with the bins, people said they would bring ride-on mowers to cut the grass. Others volunteered to maintain fencing on the park. They will have to do at their own risk as they won't be covered by insurance.'
Since then, joint administrators for DJC Leisure have funded the re-employment of a single warden to empty bins and open the park toilets - but not to man the entrance gates, which will stay open around the clock. To support his efforts, 90 locals got together last weekend to stage a community litter pick in the park's woodland and on its beach.
The news came amid delayed plans to launch a Community Interest Company (CIC). Now set to be constituted tomorrow (Thursday, May 29) with seven local directors, this will explore opportunities that may arise from the collapse of DJC Leisure. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
(Image: Google)
Ultimately, this could even culminate in a community bid to buy the land to ensure its original remit is not diminished. 'That is our dream,' said Hilary Paterson-Jones. 'Much depends on the outcome of criminal cases – we've been told this could take up to a year or even longer.
"The CIC will enable us to start formal fundraising with the ultimate ambition of purchasing the park. Were that to happen, I honestly believe things will have turned full circle: when the park first opened, it was the local community that made it into what it is today.'
As rescinding planning consent is unlikely, the new CIC will be examining other avenues to block attempts to build a holiday complex on the site. It will also explore alternative revenue opportunities amid concerns that the loss of a treasure amenity will go hand in hand with the destruction of woodland that's a refuge for red squirrels.
Fundraising efforts are set for a boost when the inaugural Penrhos Fun Day is staged on Sunday, June 15, 9am-5am. Held on a field next to Penrhos Beach, bouncy castles and children's games are among a host of activities planned, along with stalls and a raffle. Entry is free.
Save Penrhos campaigners have already met the joint administrators and have asked for a meeting with Anglesey Council. Its chief executive, Dylan J Williams isn't publicly commenting on the case while 'the ownership and future of the Penrhos site remain unclear'.
In late February, the City of London Police announced it had launched a fraud investigation into the 79th Group, a holding company that raised cash by offering investors high returns over a fixed period. Four people connected to the company were arrested and bailed as part of 'Operation Mold '. A collective civil recovery process has since been launched on behalf of worried investors. The company has denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, former employees said they were promised wages after being being informed of redundancies in early April. However eight companies linked to the 79th Group filed for administration the day before they were due to be paid, leaving them without money owed. The joint administrators have since engaged an ERA specialist to handle employee claims.
In an earlier statement to the Echo, following news of the fraud inquiry, a spokesperson for the 79th Group said: 'The Seventy Ninth Group categorically denies any wrongdoing following claims recently made public by the City of London police.
'Since the events of last week, we have been working diligently with our legal advisers to address the claims made as part of the investigation, while also providing information to business partners and other stakeholders.
'The company has also appointed independent forensic accountants to conduct a comprehensive review of the business. The Seventy Ninth Group remains committed to servicing its clients in the UK and across the globe.'
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