P-05-731 Land & Access Lane Sale at Abercwmboi, 19.10.18

Dear Kayleigh,

Thank you for contacting me.

My most recent information, March 2018, is from [name removed] the Dept of Economy & Infrastructure, he says that negotiations with RCT are ongoing. RCT will be purchasing a strip of  the land in question to give access to the proposed development on the old Phurnacite Site.  Until these are complete the land to the rear of Park View Terrace will not be sold, but it is not in dispute that it is the intention of the Department of Economy & Infrastructure to sell the land. There is anecdotal evidence that the land in question is contaminated by waste from the Phurnacite Company which was illicitly dumped on this land, therefore I have repeatedly asked the Department to include a binding covenant in the sale that the land cannot be used by  animals that could enter the food chain. This has been ignored.

Several of my neighbours have informed me that some residents have been approached by family members of the person interested in purchasing the land. They have been offered an allocation of parking space to the rear of their houses in return for their support leading to the successful purchase of this land. This would be achieved by selective fencing boundaries. Originally, in 2016, the interested party had alerted residents, inadvertently, to the potential sale of the land by talking extensively about gating access to the rear lane (since debunked) & fencing the land to the curbside of the lane which would prevent residents parking &/or  accessing their garages because the lane has insufficient width. On road parking in the vicinity is already at a premium. Lack of parking at the rear of our properties coupled with inaccessibility to garages will be detrimental to the value of our homes.

The Petition asked solely for consultation with residents directly affected by the sale of the land. I cannot understand why it is so difficult for the Government to agree to this. Instead they have continually stalled. Assuming that the Petitions Committee meetings, administrative back up & ancillary support  is not free, the cost of dealing with this petition alone has been a drain on the public purse & we are no further forward. 

I have been in intermittent contact with our AM, Vikki Howells, RCT,  [Welsh Government official] & others since the beginning of 2017. During my discussions with [Welsh Government official] I was informed that the land is of little monetary value which begs the question why sell it at all?

I thank the Committee for their ongoing consideration of this matter.

Regards

Sue Waterson