Management Of Parking Locations In The Brecon Beacons

THE MONDAY MOAN - A once a week spot for us to moan about the stuff that perhaps we should all be moaning about that little bit more... 

Letter to Dyfedd Powys Police, Powys County Council, The Brecon Beacons National Park, The National Trust and Brecon Beacons Tourism:

You are all very lucky to have missed me on Saturday morning... 

1. CWM LLWCH

At the weekend I guided a group on my walk 'Pen y Fan from the North'. The agreed meeting point was Cwm Llwch. This was closed by the farmer who owns Penstar. He told a client of mine that there was NO ACCESS up the road from the crossroads and this road was gated and locked. 
I do not know the status of Cwm Llwch Car Park but I believe it to be a private parking location. The MINIMUM that the authorities ought to be doing is coordinating with landowners and having them mark their location on Google Maps as open or closed. 

Chaos ensued as my group and a few other groups blocked the road junction, see OS MAP, prior to moving on to Cwm Gwdi. This was very near full and we took the last spots. But they kept on coming. Parking was, by the time we left, really quite disgraceful. My van was damaged by brambles when exiting due to this poor parking as I had to drive close to the lanes edge to pass vehicles parked in the lanes of the car park. Given the huge income the NT received from this days takings I feel it is incumbent upon the NT to look at managing this location better. 

On exit of this car park, about 4.15pm, we observed two police officers parked up in a gateway, door open, enjoying the afternoon sun. We all wondered what job of work they were then engaged in.

 2. PONT AR DAF - Formal complaint against Dyfed Powys Police

This location continues, after YEARS and YEARS to be a disgrace to Powys, to the Brecon Beacons, to the police and to Brecon Beacons Tourism. Imagine being a visitor from overseas making your way to the jewel in the crown of the Brecon Beacons only to be confronted with the scenes we have recently been used to...
On the 5th September I wrote to the police asking why they were not enforcing the law at this location and ticketing/clamping/removing cars from the verges or indeed moving burger vans on from their unregulated and un licensed locations. 
Tumbleweed - I wrote again asking for a response on the 13th September  - Tumbleweed!

I now regard this as a formal complain against Dyfedd Powys Police for  their inaction at this location and also for not responding to a request for information.

 10 YEARS OF COMPLAINING

Throughout 2020 and from a period of 10 years prior to this I have been writing to the National Trust and the Brecon Beacons National Park and occasionally Powys County Council complaining of the mismanagement of the Pont ar Daf car park. I have provided solutions to all of the issues that I see at this location. 
The National Trust now in their wisdom are not responding to my questions, lastly, why they are allowing three burger vans with generators to sit on their property along with people selling tat from a 'stall' and why they are not pressuring the police to move cars on and why can't they better manage charity events here?

The BBNP ought to be ashamed of the management of this location and be working hard to have things turned around. Powys County council likewise. Both of these agencies are tasked with oversight and management but quite plainly, for all to see, are incapable of action. I'll say it again, shameful!
And where has Brecon Beacons Tourism been the last 10 years on this issue? I don't know because they won't tell me and I have most certainly asked. I fear that they don't see themselves as a membership organisation that lobby's on behalf of it's members. And it's members and so all tourism operators in South and Mid Wales suffers from this dustbin of a location. 

SOLUTIONS

The problems associated with overcrowding at the various car parks around Pen y Fan can in part be overcome by having them open! and so sharing the load. Why Cwm Llwch is closed and the lane leading to it illegally so? with access being denied definitely illegally is beyond my comprehension. 
A470 - Have the police do their job and actually enforce the law and remove all unlicensed burger vans and ticket all cars parked on the verge each and Every Saturday and Sunday.Pont ar Daf Car Park - have the burger vans removed, improve the toilet facilities, pay for a not for profit parking warden at this location and fund this by introducing a small parking fee for Saturdays and Sundays, have the BBNP and NT and PCC and DPP collectively write to the charities known to use Pen y Fan and have them agree to a voluntary limit of 20 people per event per Saturday and Sunday. 

These simple and easy to implement solutions should have been in place 10 years ago. 

Please engage with these solutions now OR provide alternatives OR state clearly why you, as the authorities, continue, year on year, to fail to act. 

RESPOND

I expect a response from each agency addressed in this email by 31st October. I will be sharing this letter of complaint to my contact list and likely putting it out there as a blog post. 

I think all that work in tourism or who visit the area deserve a comprehensive response and one that will see solutions implemented by the end of this year. 

Screen shot of google maps for Cwm Llwch showing it marked as open

Screen shot marking location of locked gate at Cwm Llwch

Kind Regards,

Andy Lamb.
www.walesoutdoors.co.uk    www.cardifflifemodel.co.uk 
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