Category: Community

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4Llan – housing, energy, community

4Llan (four ‘llans’ or communities) was set up around the same time as I worked on the Capel Crannog project (and also received Perthyn funding). It’s a group of local people wanting to look at solutions to housing issues in rural Ceredigion – the lack of affordable housing being the main one. I met a few of the founding members during my work on Capel Crannog, and was invited to join the board. The group has expanded to look at housing, energy and community projects, with the thinking that as a Community Land Trust we can support local projects (such as Capel Crannog or Welfare Committee ideas) and work to realise our own ideas. Housing is a main focus, but we have already held electrical safety events, hedge-laying and a bird-box building day

The website just went live and explains more. We hope to gather more members and make sure everyone knows we are around to help if they have a great idea for developing their community, natural spaces and facilities. 

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Community Councils & Biodiversity

I have taken on the job of writing a biodiversity plan for Llangrannog Community Council in Llangrannog parish. I’m a new member of the Council and want to do something useful, and with an interest in the local environment (especially the sea, as a surfer and sailor), this is an aspect of the CC’s work I can get really passionate about! 

I attended a fascinating webinar last week with Rachel Carter through One Voice Wales, the organisation which supports town and community councils. 

It dealt with Section 6 of the Environment Act, which deals with the duty of public bodies towards the environment, and the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (which is a great piece of legislation; we’ll see how it works in practice). 

Ceredigion County Council, like all the others, has an Ecology team and a Nature Recovery Action Plan. We now have to look at this and create/develop our own report which shows how we as a Community Council include biodiversity in all our decisions (e.g. planning consultations we are invited to comment on, new roads and so on). 

Our Community Council created a report in 2022 and this next one is due by the end of 2025. I hope to have it done well before that so we can begin to action it, and liaise with 4Llan and the Llangrannog Welfare Committee locally to put some ideas into action. 

Things I want to include so far are:

  • Putting biodiversity info on our website
  • Involve members of the public/relevant organisations (KWT, 4Llan, SAS, Marine Wildlife Centre, WestWales Wildlife Trust – so many!)
  • Ensure the Biodiversity Action Plan is used (not just a document filed away)
  • Ensure it is a fixed agenda item for regular updates (yearly?)
  • Research invasive species 
  • Water pollution in our area 
  • LERC citizen science 
  • Letting people know – Llangrannog Hwb Facebook page, CC website, local news outlets 
  • Funding for local projects e.g. Local Places for Nature – share info, support bids, match fund. Ideas such as the apple trees in Llangrannog, fixing the path to the local caves etc. 

 

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Prosiect Capel Crannog

ty capel site

Capel Crannog, its vestry and house, sit halfway down the hill from the church to the beachfront, hidden up a drive many people pass without noticing it. It was built in 1888, and would have been a pivotal part of village life. No services have been held since 2001, and the Capel has declined. The Vestry is a lovely building, and the house has been renovated (by me and my father!). 

The trustees of the site have struggled to achieve their initial aim, that of redeveloping the site for community use (it was given to the villagers after closure). It is, of course, a huge project whatever anyone would want to do with it. 

But worth it. So along with loads of help from Cwmpas, the fledgling 4Llan and lots of keen local interest, the Welfare Committee went for some funding in order to create a feasibility study. I applied for and won the funding, and spent six months researching and asking the community what they want to see happen. I wrote a 20,000 word report where we outlined the possibility for affordable housing and a community space, along with a garden, parking and the house. This included surveyors’ reports, architectural drawings and funding ideas, as well as a careful look at the issues and problems the project has seen in the past. 

The report was presented at the AGM of the Welfare Committee in 2024. There is still a lot of enthusiasm for the project, but it has stalled at the moment due to legal issues. We continue to hope that the site can once again become a vibrant part of village life – watch this space!