Latest news with #FutureGenerationsAct
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Broughton padel courts approved against planning recommendation
Flintshire County Council's Planning Committee green-lit the proposals from Chester and North Wales Golf Academy on Chester Road, Broughton to create two padel courts and two golf coaching bays alongside the existing site. Padel is a racquet sport created in Mexico. Typically played in doubles the court is a third the size of a tennis court and has walls. The game has the the same scoring system as tennis but the ball can be played off the walls as in squash and serves must be at or below waist height. Racquets are solid rather than strung, which has in more urban areas led to complaints about the noise level. Planning officers recommended the application be refused due to the site being in the designated 'green wedge' and being considered 'open countryside'. Officers explained that both designations considered 'openness' a factor that warrants protection, adding that the open space was seen as preventing the coalescence of Broughton and Bretton with Saltney. But councillors rejected their findings, arguing that the health benefits and the open-air nature of the sport made the golf centre an ideal location. Broughton North East Cllr Billy Mullin, who is not a member of the committee but attended as a local elected member, said: "I do feel this application should be granted. It is environmentally friendly, has no pollution issues and fits in well with our policy on health and wellbeing. "It is a opportunity for people to get active and to bring business to the east of the county and there have been no objections from consultees or the public." Saltney Ferry councillor Richard Lloyd added that with padel being the fastest growing sport in the world, this development could become a draw for players from other areas. "Padel is an up and coming sport which is likely to be in the Olympics in 2032," he said. "It is the fastest-growing sport in the world at the moment. "The sport can be played by any age group so it is excellent for the health and wellbeing of all. There is a lack of sports facilities in this area of Flintshire and it would encourage tourism, as it is so popular and at present players have to travel to the Wirral to play." There is a sporting exemption in green wedge areas for sports considered to need wide open spaces - making golf an acceptable use. But officers decided that padel did not meet he requirements for an exemption. "It is suggested that the padel courts should be positioned in an urban area," said Cllr Lloyd. "In my opinion that is completely wrong as it can be noisy and has caused complains in other areas such as Sutton Coldfield where the noise is described as 'like gunshots going off'. "So there are exceptional circumstances why the padel courts should be allowed in the green wedge in my opinion." Buckley Pentrobin Cllr Mike Peers added: "Approval of this application provides benefits that outweighs and is not harmful to the green wedge." "The Future Generations Act says it all," said Flint, Coleshill and Trewlawny Cllr Paul Cunningham. "We've got to do everything for our youth and for our older residents. I think it would be ideal and it has my full support." As per proposed conditions by Cllr Lloyd, opening times will be restricted to 7am-9pm on weekdays and 7am-7pm on weekends and bank holidays.
Pembrokeshire Herald
25-04-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Paul Davies joins growing backlash over £40m Newgale road scheme
Senedd Member backs STUN's £500k alternative to protect coast without harming village SENEDD Member Paul Davies has joined growing opposition to Pembrokeshire County Council's £40 million Newgale road realignment, branding the project 'ill conceived' and urging the authority to reconsider a more affordable, environmentally sensitive alternative drawn up by the local community. Says plans are ill conceived: Paul Davies MS The Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project (NCAP), developed by the council in partnership with consultants AtkinsRéalis, proposes rerouting the A487 inland through the Brandy Brook valley. The scheme is aimed at mitigating future storm damage and sea-level rise, but critics say it will devastate the landscape, split the village in two, and waste tens of millions of pounds. Mr Davies is working with the Newgale campaign group STUN (Stand Up for Newgale), who have drawn up a rival plan costed at just £250,000–£500,000. Their proposal would see a 400-metre stretch of the existing shingle bank moved around 10 metres seaward, maintaining the existing A487 route and drastically reducing environmental and financial impact. 'I'm very disappointed that the Council is pushing ahead with its plans rather than working with the community on a much more affordable scheme,' Mr Davies told The Herald. 'We know the Council is struggling financially and yet somehow, it's content to find millions of pounds for a scheme that the local community opposes. 'In my view, Pembrokeshire County Council's plans are ill conceived. Any changes to the infrastructure in Newgale must meet the needs of the local community and should aim to be as environmentally sensitive as possible. I've raised this at the Senedd, and I will be doing so again, urging the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to intervene and support the local community.' 'We just want the council to talk to us' The pebble bank in Newgale is over a mile long (Image: File) The STUN proposal includes drainage measures, improved beach access for disabled users, and avoids any disruption to existing businesses such as the Duke of Edinburgh pub, surf shop, and campsite. It also claims to meet every target laid out in the Welsh Government's Future Generations Act and Net Zero commitments—unlike the council's more invasive plan. Peter Keeling (in blue – STUN Chair) and Colin Haywood (STUN member) clearing up the pebbles from day to day visitor traffic (Image: Herald) Expert: Council's modelling is flawed and alarmist STUN's report is backed by a detailed independent assessment from STUN's Chair, Professor David Keeling, a retired academic who examined the coastal data underpinning the council's justification for the new road. He concluded that the predictions of the shingle bank migrating inland were 'unnecessarily alarmist' and based on 'extreme upper-end climate scenarios' that do not reflect local conditions. Professor Keeling states that moving the shingle bank 10–12 metres seaward would delay any significant landward movement by at least 80–100 years, while allowing real-time monitoring of sea level changes in future. Historical evidence ignored, say campaigners Rare event: STUN say that clean up from 2014 overtopping event cost just £13,000 (Image: WNS) The group's report also highlights historical records, dating back to 1795, showing that storm damage to the A487 from pebble over-topping has occurred only a handful of times in centuries—and was always remedied quickly and cheaply. The 2014 overtopping event that prompted the NCAP plan, for example, incurred a one-off clean-up cost of just £13,000. STUN argues that even if such events doubled in frequency, it would still be more cost-effective to maintain the existing road than to spend £40 million on a new one. Professor Keeling told The Herald that the council has ignored legally required procedures and failed to properly engage with local people. 'We want the council to communicate with us and properly assess our alternative plan,' Prof. Keeling said. 'Realigning the shingle bank 10 metres seaward would protect the road for the next 80 to 100 years, improve beach access, and save tens of millions of pounds that nobody in the village wants to see spent on a new road through Brandy Brook,' he added. Local business owners worried Local surf shop owner Rhys Morgan told The Herald: 'This road scheme could finish us. Most of us here would rather see that money spent protecting the beach and improving access—not destroying what makes Newgale special.' Legal concerns over council's process Calls to restart the decision-making process: Pembrokeshire County Council (Image: File) STUN has also raised concerns that Pembrokeshire County Council may have breached its obligations under the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They claim that their realignment proposal was never properly considered at any stage and was later dismissed on a technicality. The group is calling on the council to restart the decision-making process, re-evaluate the modelling data, and consult the public on the cheaper, less destructive option. Consultation open until May 11 The statutory pre-application consultation on the NCAP scheme remains open until 11th May 2025. Residents are being urged to submit feedback and demand that all options—particularly the STUN proposal—are properly reviewed. How to have your say: Email: Newgale@ Post: Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project Team AtkinsRéalis Floor 4, West Glamorgan House 12 Orchard Street Swansea SA1 5AD Online: Printed copies of the consultation documents can also be viewed at St Davids Library, City Hall, SA62 6SD: Tuesday: 10:00am–1:00pm and 2:00pm–5:00pm Thursday: 10:00am–5:00pm Saturday: 10:00am–12:00pm With mounting public opposition, academic backing, and growing political scrutiny, pressure is building on Pembrokeshire County Council to revisit its controversial plan—and engage with the community before it's too late.
Business News Wales
24-04-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
New Funding Aims to Forge Community Cohesion
Cardiff Council is inviting applications from constituted community groups and third sector organisations for grant funding to help build cohesive and resilient communities. Funded by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund, small grants of up to £2,000 are available to support projects and initiatives that promote community cohesion. Funding can be used for events, activities, supportive literature, or building community capacity. To be eligible, projects must align with several of the following objectives: Celebrating diversity Countering the effects of hate, hateful narratives, disinformation, and misinformation Reducing community tensions Community capacity building Supporting community cohesion Promoting equality across all protected characteristics (Equality Act 2010) Promoting cohesive communities (Future Generations Act) Significant equality events Support inclusion, integration, tackle loneliness and isolation, identify commonality through shared interests and experiences, and celebrate the culture and heritage of the area. Cabinet Member for Public Health & Equality, Cllr Julie Sangani, said: 'We're inviting groups and organisations to share their ideas for fostering cohesive and resilient communities. We're seeking initiatives that help citizens from different backgrounds build positive relationships, feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and cultivate mutual respect and shared values.' Applications are invited from constituted and established voluntary organisation or community groups that have a bank or building society account in the name of the organisation. Collaboration between groups/organisations applying for the funding is strongly encouraged. In exceptional circumstances, partnership applications (more than two groups working together on a project) of up to £5,000 will be considered. Exclusions apply to how the funding can be used and applicants are encouraged to read the eligibility criteria in the application form carefully before applying. Each application will be assessed, and final decisions made by panel. Projects will need to be finalised by the end of March 2026. Successful projects will be expected to provide regular progress updates and a final report by the end of March 2026 containing evidence such as a full evaluation of numbers of attendees, events, volunteers, testimonials, photographs, and evidence of delivery.
BBC News
16-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Free school meals in Wales should be 'healthier and more climate friendly'
Free school meals in Wales should be "more cost effective, healthier, and more climate friendly", a leading academic has Kevin Morgan, from Cardiff University's school of geography, also said Wales was a "long way off" being able to source entirely local food in primary school children are eligible for free school meals in Wales. Families of older children can also apply for free school meals, with eligibility based on household Welsh government said it was working closely with councils to offer "the best possible food in schools". Prof Morgan, who has previously written a book about food in schools, hospitals and prisons, said the quality of meals being provided in Wales needed to be raised."We are the first and only UK nation to have implemented free school meals in all primary schools. Wales has won international plaudits for doing so – but we need to raise the quality of that food," he told Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement."There is no good universalising poor quality food."Prof Morgan also expressed concern about the ability to source "local food"."If we wanted to source entirely local food in schools tomorrow, it couldn't be done, not least because our horticulture sector in Wales is so under-developed," he added."That is one of the great opportunities before us now, as we are boosting the demand side of things."You need to use that power of purchase, procurement budgets, to build up that source of supply." Prof Morgan was speaking almost a decade since the creation of the Future Generations Act, which placed a legal duty on public bodies to take the needs of future generations into was introduced by the then-National Assembly for Wales in April 2015 and hailed as ground-breaking by the United Nations."Free school meals... is the best example of a tangible expression of the Future Generations Act," said Prof said he believed it was a "wonderful and laudable piece of legislation", but said it suffered from "everything that devolution has suffered from in Wales" which he called "the gap between aspiration and delivery"."We are asking local authorities and public bodies to step up to this enormous challenge, after almost twenty years of austerity budgets, where their capacity has been hollowed out," he Welsh Government said: "We want the best school food offer in the UK to give our children the healthiest start to life. Our roll out of free school meals for all primary school learners means every child is offered a nutritious meal."We are working closely with our local authorities to offer the best possible food in schools. Over the next year we are updating and improving our healthy eating regulations."
