Just wrote this email to Gwynedd Council Highway Department complaining about the unkempt entrance to the village of Llanberis. I will post their reply ... Dear Mr Jones I write with both sadness and frustration at the continued neglect shown to the entrance of the village of Llanberis by your department (see attached images 1, 2 and 3). The overgrown grass and continued abandonment of the plants in the slate walled area does nothing for the image of the village and the many hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the area and importantly the valuable income they bring. With over £4 million being spent on the TV advertising campaign to boost Welsh tourism it is a sad indictment of Gwynedd Council’s lack of awareness of this important source of income. The Welsh government acknowledges that tourism generates £5bn a year to the Welsh economy. Llanberis is unique and has been described as the Jewel in the Crown of all Welsh villages. Nestling at the foot of the highest peak in Wales it is a tourist Mecca. It has: the a rack and pinion mountain railway which attracts a staggering 150,000 tourists a year; it holds the vast Electric Mountain with the First Hydro Companys Visitor centre and tours in the mountains; it has its own Castle, Dolbadarn built by the Welsh Princes and dates back to the 13th Century; it has the Llyn Padarn lake Railway where tourists are attracted to the timeless appeal of the narrow-gauge steam trains; it has the award winning National Slate Museum and Quarry Hospital Museum in a dramatically beautiful landscape on the shores of Llyn Padarn, not to mention the many and diverse shops, café’s, ice cream parlour etc. All of this and Gwynedd Council appear to be oblivious to the effect the poorly kept entrance to the village has on those visiting the area. I am not looking for your excuses because there can be none. Cut backs are part of life and I wholly understand this but to neglect such an important aspect of this beautiful area is beyond indefensible. I have included an image at the end of the attachments from Padarn Country Park to show you that there are those who understand the importance of the up keep of this village and its surrounding area; the wardens do a truly amazing job. I was saddened to read that the council has reduced their budget and cut their manning down which I find disgraceful and once again an example of the reluctance to embrace the importance of tourism in Gwynedd, but particularly in the lovely village of Llanberis. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and your proposals to rectify this matter. Kind regards
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:38:46 +0000