Documents behind controversial plans now online

* The Dobson & Crowther site where permission has been given for the
supermarket to be built 

The official documents behind the granting of permission to two controversial planning applications in Llangollen are now available for public inspection.

They relate to the scheme to build a new supermarket on the site of the Dobson & Crowther printworks off the A5 and the related plan to relocate the factory to farmland at nearby Climedw.

Ian Weaver, Denbighshire County Council's principal planning officer, has written to local campaigner Martin Crumpton to say: "You will be aware that, having regard to the submissions, representations received, and the planning issues, Denbighshire County Council's Planning Committee resolved to GRANT planning permission for the applications proposing development of a foodstore on the existing Dobson and Crowther site, and for a replacement print works on land at Cilmedw, Llangollen, on September 19th.

"The County Council has now issued the Certificates of Decision on the applications. The Certificates can be viewed on the Council's website."

Reference numbers of applications are:

03/2012/0029
Erection of new print works building, with associated car parking, servicing, and related accesses, construction of substation, new package treatment plant and soakaways, surface water attenuation system, and new vehicular and pedestrian accesses off trunk road
Land at Cilmedw, Llangollen.

03/2012/0030
Demolition of existing printing works, erection of Use Class A1 foodstore with associated access, parking, servicing, landscaping, surface water attenuation system, and construction of new vehicular and pedestrian accesses
Berwyn Works, Llangollen.

The county council website and planning section is at http://planning.denbighshire.gov.uk/lg/plansearch.page?org.apache.shale.dialog.DIALOG_NAME=gfplanningsearch&Param=lg.Planning

Feed the reference numbers into the search field and the documents should be available.

Society goes on trial over ageism

Society will be put on trial on a charge of ageism at a special court hearing being staged in Denbighshire later today (Thursday, October 25).

The mock trial is being arranged by Denbighshire County Council Older People's Team as part of the No Limits! Don't Stop Me Know' event being held at Denbigh Town Hall.

The event, which aims to promote activities for the over 50s, is being supported by Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council and Age Concern North Wales Central.

The court hearing will have defendants accused of ageism and they will face questions from real barristers and a high court judge that are giving their time to support the event.

Expert witnesses will be called to assist in making the event realistic.

A range of other activities will be arranged during the day, including hand massage, a smoothie bike for you to get peddling to create their own healthy smoothie, speed dating for the over 50s, information stands and activities from the Welsh Judo Association.

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Cabinet Lead Member for Social Care and Children's Services, said: "In Denbighshire, we have one of the highest populations of older people in Wales which means that we need to adapt what we have on offer. Older people are living longer, they want to stay independent for longer and as a result, their needs are changing.

"We want to change attitudes towards getting older and events like this really show that life does begin at 50."

Spotlight falls on Trevor Basin tourist scheme

* An artist’s impression of how the finished scheme would look.

* Panels outlining the Trevor Basin scheme were set up in the foyer
at Llangollen Library. 

ORGANISERS of an exhibition showcasing a £100,000 scheme to enhance the visitor experience around Trevor Basin say it was given a warm reception in Llangollen last Friday.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Steering Group are currently carrying out a public consultation exercise into its ambitious scheme to develop a new visitor centre at the canal basin to encourage visitors to explore further into the surrounding World Heritage Site.

It says it is envisaged that a visitor centre would become the “central anchor” for the site, which over the summer hit the international headlines when the Olympic torch passed over the aqueduct aboard a narrow boat.

It says a number of sites have been considered and one has now been identified as being the most able to provide the visitor “offer” envisaged.

The group is also looking into the feasibility of re-opening part or all of the Plas Kynaston Canal from Trevor, possibly as far as Cefn Mawr.

However, the group stresses all the proposals are long term and depend on the development of the former Flexsys site nearby.

The exhibition which came to Llangollen Library last Friday aimed to gauge public opinion on the scheme and has already toured other venues in the 11-mile World Heritage Site Corridor, including Chirk and Cefn Mawr.

Panels containing a wide range of information on the scheme, including plans and artist’s impressions, were set up in the library foyer and copies of documents and a CD explaining the whole project were available to pick up.

Interested members of the public were able to write their comments on post-it notes which could be stuck on a map of the World Heritage Site, or fill in questionnaires which can be handed in at Tourist Information Centres in Llangollen or Wrexham before the consultation closing date of November 16.

A spokesman for the group said: “We had tremendous support for the exhibition from the people visiting Llangollen Library and there were some very positive comments.”

A separate consultation event is planned for the local community of Chirk Bank and Western Rhyn on Monday, November 12.


 

Band delights festival crowds

* The band in action at the festival.

Llangollen Band had a warm reception from the crowd when it played at last weekend's food festival at the International Pavilion.
 
A band spokeswoman said: "The sun shone brightly at the end of a week of summer mysteriously out of place in October, and cherished all the more for that. 

"Conductor Trevor Williams was so delighted with the weather that he requested the organisers to arrange his holidays for next year..! 

"The festival was packed with visitors and the band played in front of the pavilion to an enthusiastic crowd making the most of the warmth, the food and the music.   

"A little bit of heaven for all the senses!"

Appeal for witnesses to fatal crash

Shortly after 7.00pm last night, Monday 22^nd October 2012 emergency services were called to the scene of a two vehicle road traffic collision on the A541 Wrexham to Mold Road close to the end of the dual carriageway adjacent to the Plas Teg Estate. The collision involved a silver BMW series 3 motor vehicle travelling in the direction of Mold and a silver Ford Ka travelling in the opposite direction.

As a result of the collision the driver of the Ford Ka, a local woman in her 30’s received fatal injuries and passed away a short time later at Wrexham hospital. Tragically the woman was pregnant and despite efforts made at the scene her unborn child could not be saved.

The driver of the BMW, who was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving has since been released on bail whilst the investigation continues.

The officer leading the Investigation Sergeant Jane Thomas of the Roads Policing Unit said “I’d like to hear from anyone who was travelling along the A541 Road in Pontbyddyn yesterday evening and may have witnessed the collision to contact the Police. At this time the lady’s family are being supported by a specialist family liaison officer. As you can imagine they are devastated. This is a tragic incident which will have shaken the local community and I would ask that if you have any information that may assist our investigation that you contact Police immediately.

If you have any information about the collision North Wales Police can be contacted on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and quote incident N175772.

New health centre could cost millions more than planned claim campaigners

* Accessing the River Lodge site could add millions to the cost of building a new health centre, claim campaigners. 

Providing a new health centre to replace closure-threatened Llangollen Cottage Hospital will cost millions of pounds more than the health board’s current estimate.

That is the claim of the campaign group battling to keep health services in the town if the hospital shuts down as proposed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).

Last Saturday members of the group Keep Llangollen Health Services lobbied politicians going into the annual food festival at the Pavilion and claimed to have gained support from all the area’s four Assembly Members for their aim of keeping the hospital open until its replacement is up and running.

Other protests are now planned, says the group.

Most likely location for the new health centre is the site of the derelict River Lodge in Mill Street.

A researcher from the group who has been checking into concerns about its access off the busy A539 road said: “We know that Mill Street, where the A road from Trefor is too narrow to be an A road and becomes a B road for a short distance, will have to be widened to comply with planning law for the River Lodge redevelopment as a new Health Centre, and that will involve compulsory purchase of a number of large building such as the Upper Dee Mill, adding around £2m-£3m to the estimated £5.5m cost of building the Hospital’s replacement.

“This does not look like value for money, and represents a downgrading – or elimination – of vital local health services.”

Using a Land Registry search, the group has also been trying to clear up confusion over the ownership of the Cottage Hospital building.

And its researcher claims:  “Betsi Cadwaladr has title to the hospital, Dol Afon [the large Victorian house adjacent currently on the market], and the small car park almost opposite.

“Consequently, reversion to the Vivod Estate won’t happen, as there’s no covenant on the hospital, despite the rumours.

“We also have no guarantee that when these assets are sold, the money will benefit the town, so it will probably go into BCUHB’s general pool.”

The group now has its own Facebook page at Save Llangollen Hospital Beds and a website at http://llangollenhospitalcampaign.wordpress.com/

Free food safety session for businesses

A free food safety advice session for businesses is to be held in Llangollen early next month.

The event in Llangollen Library, Y Capel, Castle Street, will be held on Tuesday, November 6, from 2 - 5.30pm.

It is one of a series of similar sessions being staged across Denbighshire and Conwy during November.

The drop-in sessions are being held in town centres, so that businesses will be able to pop along and meet food safety officers, and get information and advice.

Topics covered will be:

• The National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
• Food safety management systems/HACCP
• Food hygiene training
• How to comply with food safety regulations

Useful information for traders and businesses about health and safety at work and Trading Standards will also be available.

Cllr David Smith, Denbighshire’s Cabinet Lead Member for Public Realm, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to meet inspecting officers informally for up-to-date information and advice.

“In this current economic climate, I would urge local businesses to take full advantage of the Food Safety Teams free help and guidance.”