The Bala Lake Railway has launched a Fighting Fund appeal after its disappointing news that Snowdonia National Park refusing their recent planning application.
The extension to the narrow gauge heritage railway would have seen the railway run into Bala town centre.
The foundation of the refusal has been due to there being no certainty that with increased numbers of tourists visiting Bala and using the railway that the planning consent would not contravene Welsh Government legislation in regard to additional phosphates being discharged into the river Dee.
Put in a more straightforward way, an increase in tourists using the town would see a growth in sewage levels.
Caulmert Limited have pledged to help the Bala Lake Railway through to a successful conclusion.
The initial application cost the BLR £250,000 and has exhausted all reserves the railway had.
The Fighting Fund appeal has been launched to help see the railway over the line, and the target is to raise £100,000.
One of the railway's supporters has pledged to match the first £20,000. Last time out, supporters raised £80,000 in just one month, which enabled Natural Resources Wales to incorporate 300 metres of track bed into their flood defence upgrade.
To help the Bala Lake Railway, please visit their website.
This is part two of a letter sent to politicians and councillors in the Bala Lake area.
Having visited Wales many times due to my mother being Welsh (she can still speak Welsh) I know that the area is predominantly Sheep and Cow farming country, who which naturally defecate in there fields, along with the farmers ‘muck spreading’ on to the fields to improve the grass, which then when it rains leads to water run off from the fields which does contain amounts of uncontrolled and untreated phosphates which end up in the stream and rivers.
So having established the fact that human source phosphates should not be entering the River Dee unless Welsh Water is failing to provide adequate waster water management then the argument that the railway will increase footfall and defecation is totally unfounded and approval should be given to the 3/4mile extension that will give the town a boost of income.
As for the animal problem I think putting them in nappies would be a step to far.
This is part one of a letter sent to politicians and councillors in the Bala lake area.
I have been following the ongoing efforts of the Bala Lake Railways to extend it’s line from just outside the Bala and into it’s centre, most railways do usually go between centres of population to make it easier for its customers and to provide a better service.
The decision to refuse the planning application on the grounds of increased phosphates levels is laughable and is not the Railways fault at all, and the blame for this should be with Welsh Water who provide waste water services in that area, as they should be treating waste water at it plants with approved solutions that help to decrease the phosphates levels in the rivers, and if they are not doing this then that is a clear violation of it’s duty of care and operational standards.
Going to be staying in Bala for a week in June – Will be visiting a number of heritage lines in wales and will give the Bala Lake Railway my support. Wales has an appallingly sparse network of rail and you would expect any sane government to support rail infrastructure to the hilt.
With the ban on proper coal and net zero financial suicide, it seems that the Welsh Government wants to go down the Get Woke, Go Broke path as well, destroying the lives of all in the UK.
Mmm, well it’s just a little narrow gauge, not really part of Rail infrastructure, only for the people who want to play Trains and for tourists, always notice how it’s English people who run these Railways, no Welsh, just shows how much the locals want it.
To me it sounds like stupid Welsh Govt don’t want any people visiting parts of their precious country. Or is it a way for the Welsh Labour to close down all the Little Trains of Wales as they are known World Wide.
So following the logic of this decision, the Welsh Govt should be discouraging ALL tourism to Wales so as to get sewage discharges down to the minimum possible. Yet the other hand of the Welsh Govt wants to INCREASE tourism to boost the economy. I think it’s time for a little realism.
A strange thing to fail the planning application on given the amount of sewage that is currently being pumped into rivers unchallenged. How many visitors will it take to rival these levels? It’s gratifying though that one authority is observing legislation.
Absolutely.
Just another example of the hypocrisy, regarding politics – only when the time suits.
As you say, discharging waste into rivers, untreated sewage being pumped into the sea…
Any wonder the nation is sick to death of these two faced, lying parasites.
The Welsh Labour First Minister is just as bad if not worse than the UK PM. They both have their own agenda in running their prospective countries.