Sunday 23 August 2020

More information and the latest news in regards to the selling off of one of our 'Crown Jewels' Coleg Harlech





I have been digging a bit deeper into the selling off of Coleg Harlech and, it seems, that the ongoing saga started In February 2017 when it was announced that Coleg Harlech would be closing as an adult education college at the end of the academic year. It was then sold to businessman Leslie Banks Irvine in April 2019, but, he then placed it on sale again in September of that year as four properties with a total asking price of around £630,000 consisting of the Wern Fawr site, theatre and gymnasium, the buildings were promoted as a "development opportunity".

It seems the Hall of residence, along with the St David's Hotel had been bought by a company called Aitchinson Associates Limited (AAL) who was registered as a company in Gibraltar but their office address is Buckingham House, Myrtle Lane, Billingshurst, West Sussex, RH14 9SG.

The St David's Hotel closed in 2008 and became subject to planning application NP5/61/23L[6 which was lodged with the Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) with the following proposal:

"Full application for demolition of hotel and adjacent college hall of residence and construction of a new 130 bedroom hotel and 76 holiday apartments",

 Following a review by the Design Commission for Cymru, they issued a report in Dec 2008 which concluded that the replacement hotel complex would be an over development of the site. However, the Snowdonia National Park Authority approved the application on the 29th April 2009 and it was resolved that the St David's hotel would be demolished.

There was a ten year period then where AAL just allowed the hotel to fall into total disrepair and the SNPA issued an 'enforcement notice' to AAL in Dec 2015 for the hotel to be demolished and the site  completely cleared. AAL continued to do nothing, were taken to court by SNPA and were fined £1,000 + £100 victim's surcharge. Still no action by AAL so they were taken to court again and fined another £20,900 in April 2018 for failing to comply with the court order to demolish the hotel they had allowed to deteriorate beyond repair.

Now, it gets farcical, in the end, the SNPA were resigned to demolish the hotel themselves but, before they could do that, they had to 're home' a colony of bats roosting within it so, had to appoint a contractor to build a bat barn for the bats. HOW MUCH DID THIS COST? Apparently, the bat barn was never completed so, what became of the bats?

AAL had the SNPA in a stranglehold, it was obvious that they had no intention of demolishing the hotel and clearing the site, all they had to do was sit back until the job was done by the SNPA who were getting all the flak from locals and tourism businesses in the area because of the dilapidated hotel’s detrimental impact on the special landscape qualities of the area and on the tourism industry but, the SNPA was only able to finance the demolishing and clearing of the site if they got funding from the Welsh Government and Gwynedd County Council to cover it. They had two lots of funding from the Welsh Government consisting of £30,000 and £300,000. This funding enabled important preparatory works and surveys to take place, and the demolition costs to be met. I haven't been able to find out yet what additional funding they had off Cyngor Sir Gwynedd or, as to what thy needed this additional funding for ?


So now AAL have got a cleared prime site overlooking the golf course and beach which will guarantee them a massive dividend pay off on their investment and all cleared with money paid from the tax payer's purse and I have no doubt in my mind that they are now sitting back whilst observing the Halls of Residence getting into a similar dilapidated condition as can be seen in the link below. This, undoubtedly, will mean that the SNPA will have to step in again and take them to court, they will ride the fines and the SNPA will end up clearing the site paid for with further thousands from the taxpayers purse and AAL ends up with another cleared site all set for development into holiday flats and this, no doubt with even more money in development grants from the tax payer's purse.




The money given, thus far to demolish the St David's hotel and clear that site is much more than was paid for it in the first place so, wouldn't it have made more sense if the SNPA and Cyngor Sir Gwynedd had bought the St David's hotel,  retained in Cadw's listing description for Coleg Harlech - which is a Grade II* Listed Building, when it first came on the market, renovated it to its former glory to save it for the nation and provide employment opportunities in it for the people of Harlech? It is ironic, but not out of character, that Cadw, a department within the Welsh Government, can spend £6m of tax payer's money to erect a footbridge to enhance the visitor's experience to one of the castles that was built by Edward Ist to keep the Cymry in subjection but the Welsh Government, the SNPA and Cyngor Sir Gwynedd cannot lift a finger or spend a penny to save our own national treasures from being saved.

https://www.mottmac.com/article/10079/harlech-castle-footbridge-uk#:~:text=Construction%20began%20in%201283%20and,in%20Gwynedd%20World%20Heritage%20Site.

  And now, the same fate that destroyed the St David's hotel awaits the Coleg Harlech Halls of residence if we all sit back and leave it to AAL and SNPA and Cyngor Sir Gwynedd and...WE MUST NOT ALLOW IT! That halls of residence can still be refurbished at this point to be re-used for the purpose of housing working class students being taught much needed skills for a new post Brexit and post-covid Cymru! in the other main areas of the College which is also, at this time, in grave danger of being lost for good to outside developers as its all up for Auction in Bangor or Biwmaris next week? See link below:

We must all monitor this sale very carefully because, we must not allow this Crown Jewel to be lost to Cymru and to the needs of working class Cymry without a REAL fight. The Welsh Government, the SNPA and Cyngor Sir Gwynedd owe it to the Cymric nation to buy this 'jewel' back because, when it was first sold by the Adult Learning Wales (and who on earth gave them the right to sell it?) their chief executive Kathryn Robson said:

 "It is heartbreaking that we have to take the decision to sell the property, but the name of Coleg Harlech and all it stands for continues, as we provide life-changing opportunities for many adult learners in Gwynedd and thousands more throughout Wales. Mrs Robson added: “Our priority now is to attract prospective purchasers who can deliver a creative solution for the people of Harlech, which generates economic growth and retains the historic and architectural importance of the building. "We are working with Cyngor Gwynedd Council, Snowdonia National Park Authority, Visit Wales and Cadw to secure a strong future for the buildings, and we are hopeful that we can deliver on

Mrs Robson added: “Addysg Oedolion Cymru | Adult Learning Wales, the National Community College, will ensure that the work of Coleg Harlech and all it stands for remains, where we provide life-changing opportunities for adult learners in Gwynedd and across Wales, continuing the good work and positive legacy for second-chance education which has been the life-blood of Coleg Harlech for the past 90 years.”

We must all campaign hard to keep them to that promise so continue to sign the petition to save the college and Halls of residence If the Welsh Government can spend £6m of Cymric taxpayer's money on a foot bridge for Harlech castle then, they can BUY COLEG HARLECH AND THE HALLS OF RESIDENCE BACK FOR THE CONTINUAL USE OF THE WORKING CLASS OF OUR NATION!


The petition requesting that the 'Senedd'; save the college has been doing well with over 1,150 signatures to date since it was first posted a week ago but,  the number should be much higher by now ; where is the loyalty of the many thousands 'marching for Independence, don't they all want to save this Cymric Crown Jewel and see the need to use the issue as a launch pad for a renewed campaign to clearly show that CYMRU IS NOT FOR SALE? 

 See the brilliant letter in the link below, as the author rightly states, this would never have been allowed to happen to New Battle Abbey in Scotland and to Ruskin in Oxford, both established with the same vision as that for Coleg Harlech.


How, then, was this allowed to happen to Coleg Harlech and, as Peter states in the above letter,  where was the "mass cry of defiant, radical outrage" and protest action that should have taken place against the sale? I, myself, only found out what was going on when I visited Harlech a month ago or I would, most definitely, have instigated action but where were the Cymric patriots of Cymru/ Gwynedd, all 8,000 of them that attended an Independence rally in Caernarfon last year? 


In the last couple of years,  "radical outrage" was clearly shown when a crumbling piece of wall carrying a Cofia Dryweryn slogan was demolished, and 'defiant' was shown when Cymric patriots rebuilt it and it was then bought from the farmer who owned the crumpled wall for an 'undisclosed' sum. I have still to get info on this via the 'Public Right of Information Act' of course, what happened with the drowning of Tryweryn was a tragedy and mass protests occurred at the time including the painting of the aforementioned slogan but, our nation is still being raped and robbed of its land, resources, properties and national treasures but, there is no 'active protest' to stop it so, the raping and pillaging of Cymru will continue until the day when Cymry, in a lost land, will be painting COFIA CYMRU on walls in a show of futile defiance.   

Coleg Harlech a Cadw grade II listed building is again up for sale in auction this Thursday 27th Aug, see Golwg 360 article in link below, THE WELSH GOVERNMENT AND GWYNEDD COUNCIL MUST BUY IT BACK FOR THE NATION, REFURBISH IT AND PUT IT BACK INTO USE AS A SKILL TRAINING COLLEGE FOR THE CYMRIC WORKING CLASS! If they don't, then I, for one, will most definitely be asking what value are our politicians and Councillors if they cannot protect our nation, its resources and people. I will be asking the question, are they in their positions to better their own lives or the lives of the people they depend on to vote for them. I will be conducting detailed research into their salaries and expenses and will be publishing it and asking the question...ARE ANY OF THEM FIT FOR PURPOSE! for, if we look at their track record in regards to their inaction concerning Coleg Harlech, the St David's Hotel, the Coleg Harlech Halls of residence and Plas Glynllifon, they have already proved that THEY ARE NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE and I for one, will be campaigning hard for a 'no vote' come the next elections.



WE MUST NOT GIVE UP ON THE COLEG, THE PHOENIX MUST RISE UP TO SAVE IT...so, keep signing the petition in this link and, whatever happens in the auction sale on Thursday, do keep on passing it on far and wide to every corner of this world so that we get thousands of names on it to enforce a debate in the Welsh Goverment chamber and to show those politicians in Bae Caerdydd that WE WILL NOT allow our nation and its people to be treated like this. SHAME ON THEM, THE SNPA, CYNGOR SIR GWYNEDD AND SHAME ON ALL WHO WAS AWARE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON BUT DID NOTHING! The least, these people can do now is to sign the petition or, if this selling off of our nation is allowed to continue, there will be no nation left to march for Independence for!





posted by WELSH REMEMBRANCERS @ 07:00