Segway adventure trail planned on edge of town

Planning permission is being sought for a segway adventure trail on the edge of Llangollen.

 

An application for planning permission for the scheme, on land to the north of Cilmedw Farm, was submitted to Denbighshire County Council last Friday. 

It calls for the creation of a segway adventure trail, demolition of existing building and erection of replacement building to provide facilities for a segway centre and, as a white water rafting centre, the formation of vehicular access and creation of car park and associated development.

* People ride on segways.

The planning brief has been prepared by Owen Devenport Ltd, chartered town planning consultants of Colwyn Bay.

 

According to the planning brief, the site of the application is situated to the west of the A5 and to the north west of the White Water Hotel, and is located close to the edge of Llangollen amongst a cluster of development associated with the town and set around the A5. 

The site is currently agricultural land which slopes up from the A5 towards the northern and western sides of the site in line with the land form of the area, which is defined by the wooded slopes that form the western side of the Vale of Llangollen. 

The brief explains: “The proposal is a full application for the creation of a segway adventure

trail and a white water rafting centre which involves the following elements:

• Creation of a segway track (with a grass surface);

 

• Demolition of existing agricultural building on site and erection of a replacement building of a similar size and scale which will provide facilities for the segway centre, and will also be used as the base for the applicant’s whte water rating bsiness;

• Creation of a new access and formation of a parking area (gravel surface);

• Provision of wood chip path between parking area and building;

• Formation of soakaways to serve the building."

The brief goes on: “The site has been chosen due to its sheltered location and position amongst existing development, which together with the low-impact nature of the design reduce the visual impact of the proposal.

 

“The proposed replacement building will be located on the site of an existing agricultural building of a similar size and height, and will be timber clad. This along with its modest scale and form will ensure that it forms an unobtrusive feature, and that it will have a similar visual impact to the existing building. 

“The proposal would make a positive contribution to the area’s economic character as it would provide employment and would be an additional attraction that would assist in attracting and retaining visitors. 

“A new access will be provided for the site onto the road bordering the northern section of the western edge of the site, this will then allow access onto the A5 via the existing junction.” 

 

Well-known local campaigner Martin Crumpton, of Berwyn, who led the initial opposition to the Sainsbury’s supermarket on the Dobson & Crowther site off the A5 and also battled plans for the closure of Llangollen Cottage Hospital, is now opposing this new scheme and is asking for it to be called in by the Welsh Minister responsible for planning. 

Writing to a county council planning official yesterday (Thursday), he said: “Notice of this planning application arrived today, which means there is very little time to formulate a full, thought-out objection, which will follow, but I want to have the Minister’s attention initially drawn to the fact that this development will destroy an identified, active badger sett."

Mr Crumpton is also asking all recipients of the notice to help build a successful objection to what he calls “further decimation of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and World Heritage land”.

 

Full details of the application can be found online by going to:

http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk/lg/GFPlanningSingleResult.page and putting in the reference number 03/2013/1014.