Latest news with #GreatWallOfClydach
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Villagers in Welsh beauty spot win battle to get £40,000 fence dubbed the 'Great Wall of Clydach' knocked down
Furious villagers have won their fight to demolish a huge £40,000 fence erected in a Welsh beauty spot. The 200-metre long six-foot high steel fence, dubbed the 'Great Wall of Clydach', was installed within Brecon Beacons National Park in April. It was put up by the council at a cost of £40,000 to block access to the road amid fears the face of Gilwern mountain could collapse on cars and pedestrians. Now County Hall officials have agreed to take down the fence - and will spend another £20,000 for its removal. The roadside structure, nearby to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blaenavon, was widely criticised for blocking views of the surrounding idyllic mountains and valleys. Locals described the fence, made of galvanised steel with sharp spikes on top, as 'disgusting' and slammed the council for a lack of public consultation. Clive Thomas, who was born in Clydath, told MailOnline: 'We've got a lovely back garden, and it's just an eyesore. When the sun is on it and everything, it just looks out of place.' Meanwhile, long-term resident Simon Elliott ,said: 'There was no consultation with anyone. The fence has been put up with no understanding at all of what the area is. 'All it needed was a low-level fencing to stop any cattle or people going over the edge into the quarry.' Local fury at the 'Great Wall' even prompted more than 120 villagers to gather at Clydach village hall in protest. During a heated meeting in late April, residents insisted that the fence was a safety hazard, with abseilers using it to tie their ropes to. Expressing her outrage, local resident Marit Meredith said: 'We weren't consulted about the fence at all. 'It's been noted that climbers are using the fence to fasten their ropes to which is unsafe. 'It's the appearance and it could cause an accident. It's over two metres high. Abseilers, they could actually kill themselves.' Ms Meredith also alleged there were peregrine falcons - a rare species of bird - nesting below the fence, which were being 'disturbed' by its presence. However, officials at the time insisted that the fence was designed to be a nine-month temporary measure. They also claimed that it had been erected along along Pwll Du Road, which has been closed to traffic for five years, over legitimate fears it could collapse imminently. It came after a rockfall in 2023 led to a council report that suggested the path should be closed off to both people and vehicles. A highways chief further explained that while planning permission was not required for the fence, the national park had been informed. Now, Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to remove the fence and replace it with a shorter structure that will 'blend in' with the surroundings. Stock proof fencing is set to be used instead, with the posts at either end of the road set to be reduced in height and painted a 'suitable colour'. Simon Howarth, an independent county councillor, said he was pleased with the council's U-turn decision, but added that 'we shouldn't have got here' and that the huge costs could have been avoided. He added: 'Overall we are where we should have started, but around £50,000 to £70,000 worse off.' Cllr Howarth also said he was glad that the council were intending to allow access to the backside of the fence, between it and to the mountainside for cyclists and pedestrians. A Monmouthshire County 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.'
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Disgusting' mountainside fence to be removed after backlash
A huge fence put up across a mountain and overlooking a beauty spot is to be removed after a public 2.1m (6ft) tall steel fence - dubbed the "Great Wall of Clydach" by villagers - was erected without notice last month, along the Monmouthshire village's Pwll Du Road, spanning 200m (652ft).It sits across the face of Gilwern mountain in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and close to the boundary of the UNESCO Blaenavon World Heritage claimed the galvanised steel structure with sharp spikes was "disgusting" and demanded its removal. 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 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 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, a public meeting held in April, the council confirmed the bill for putting up the fence was £40, 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 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 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".
