Last chance to save?

Eryri National Park Authority could approve a scheme that campaigners argue will damage one of the National Park’s most iconic waterfalls.

Environmental campaigners in Eryri (Snowdonia) are warning that next week could be the last chance to save one of the National Park’s most iconic waterfalls – Rhaeadr y Cwm, above Llan Ffestiniog.

On Wednesday 24 June, Eryri National Park Planning Authority will once again be asked to decide whether it is acceptable to approve a hydro power scheme that would see, at times, nearly 70% of the water diverted out of the waterfall into a plastic pipe.

If the scheme goes ahead, it will significantly affect the very things that make a waterfall a waterfall – the sight, sound and sensation of a torrent of rushing water.  These inherently beautiful qualities encouraged David Cox to paint the site in 1836; were in the minds of the medieval authors of the Mabinogion; and continue to inspire today’s users of the ancient medieval trackway as they explore the Eryri Slate Trail.

It will also fundamentally change the very environmental conditions that led to the gorge being designated as is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – a location deemed to be nationally significant because of the vulnerable species that can be found there, including rare, damp-loving plants.  The applicant’s own expert stated that, due to a lack of scientific evidence, it would be impossible to predict with any certainty what impact any reduced water flow may have on these species.  Campaigners continue to urge that a precautionary approach should be taken.

After the Senedd declared a Nature Emergency in 2021, the Welsh Government strengthened Planning Policy in Wales to make clear that there must be no development in SSSIs except in ‘wholly exceptional circumstances’.  Campaigners expressly deny that they exist here.  Any decision based on the premise that generating renewable energy alone makes it ‘wholly exceptional’ would be seriously flawed, and could set a hugely damaging precedent for SSSIs across Wales.  Campaigners have asked the Welsh Government to clarify whether or not the Park Authority’s understanding of planning policy on ‘wholly exceptional circumstances’ is sound.

The plan has run into huge opposition, with over 1,000 people having formally registered their objections alongside a coalition of five environmental groups: North Wales Wildlife Trust, Save our Rivers, Cymdeithas Eryri (Snowdonia Society), Buglife, Noth Wales Rivers Trust, Plantlife and the British Mountaineering Council.

Graeme Cotterill, Director of Cymdeithas Eryri, said: ““No waterfall should be a part-time feature of Eryri’s landscape – let alone one as iconic and valued as this.  – the crown jewels of our natural heritage.  Despite the potential damage to the wildlife and landscape value of the site, the plan would not make a significant contribution to decarbonising Eryri’s economy – let alone an ‘exceptional’ one.

Sue Beaumont, Chair of Cymdeithas Eryri, added: “We’re calling on Eryri National Park Authority to stand up for this site’s special qualities. Not to do so will set a dangerous precedent for other important wildlife sites across Wales. We should all be actively working together to help our National Park tackle climate change and enhance nature for the long-term benefit of all who live, work and visit here.”