I’m A Celebrity castle overcomes 'years of division' that threatened multi-million-pound restoration!

 

Its such a shame that Grwych Catle trust had to go through all of this due to an evil council and a handful of dog walkers!

This is private property and always has been, those who walked there were tresspassing on private land, now thankfully this has been sorted, but how much has this disgusting fiasco cost the taxpayer?

A long-running and divisive access row at Conwy's I’m A Celebrity castle may have finally reached the end of the road. It follows the rejection of a bid to register four routes across Gwrych Castle's grounds as public rights of way.

On Monday night (January 26), Conwy Council’s general licensing committee voted 5-4 against the application by Abergele councillor Andrew Wood. Public access was stopped in spring 2020 following the Covid outbreak and Cllr Wood took action when land was fenced off during filming of ITV’s I’m Celebrity series.

Cllr Wood said he wanted to protect access that locals had enjoyed for decades. Opposing the bid, Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust (GCPT) said it supported “reasonable” public access on the wider estate and had proposed alternative routes.

A separate application for Village Green status, on a large swathe of the estate, remains outstanding. However it is understood this bid – which would ring-fence the land for local sports and other activities – may now be dropped given Monday’s decision and the legal justifications behind it.

GCPT took aim at those who sought to open up the estate to unfettered access, racking up large legal bills at a cost to taxpayers and the trust. It said the Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO) refusals would now enable the castle’s restoration to continue unhindered.

In an online statement, the trust said: “What has concerned us is that the DMMO and Village Green applications, rather than achieving clarity, have resulted in years of division and very substantial costs to all parties, running into many hundreds of thousands of pounds, with no tangible benefit to the public.

"As a charity, those resources would be far better directed towards conservation, education, and community benefit."

“We hope that, following this decision, all parties can move away from adversarial processes and work constructively towards solutions that unite rather than divide the community. We remain committed to dialogue, to responsible access, and above all to the successful rescue and sustainable future of Gwrych Castle.”

Some 239 people submitted evidence in support of the DMMO and Village Green applications. However there was also widespread opposition to unrestricted access amid concerns it would encourage trespass and vandalism, and so compromise Gwrych's restoration project.

The Grade-I listed castle sat derelict and abandoned for almost three decades until GCPT bought it outright in 2018. In that time, local residents enjoyed using the estate’s grounds and woodlands for walking, horse riding and cycling. When the fences went up, many demanded clarity on future use.

GCPT said public access to the woodland had never been disputed. But the trust insisted that controlled access to the castle’s immediate grounds was essential to the restoration project and the castle's ongoing viability..

A spokesperson said: “We wish to be absolutely clear that Gwrych Castle has never opposed reasonable public access to the wider estate. On the contrary, we have engaged constructively throughout, including direct meetings with the applicant. An alternative route away from the castle and its immediate grounds has been proposed and accepted in principle.

“This route provides continued access without undermining the integrity, safety, or long-term conservation of the castle itself.”

A decision on the Village Green bid has yet to be reached, leaving some uncertainty for GCPT. However it believes the conclusion reached by Conwy Council’s lawyers – that the requested rights of way lack legal basis – will also apply to the Village Green application.

This could also undermine attempts to appeal Monday's night’s ruling or take it to public inquiry, given the appellant’s potential vulnerability to significant costs.

Were Village Green status to be obtained, this would prevent any restoration taking place, said GCPT. Together with the separate public right of way applications, the effect would have been to “splice and dice the estate into disconnected sections and undermine its ability to function as a coherent visitor attraction”, explained a spokesperson.

Gwrych Castle trustees now hope the issue can be laid to rest. They said: “Access has continued in many areas, including statutory and permissive routes, but we recognise this has not always been clearly explained and that uncertainty has caused frustration and division.

“We agree entirely that it is time to unite the community and move forward. To help with that, we are preparing clear, accessible information showing where access is permitted and how people can enjoy the woodland responsibly.

“This will also explain why certain sensitive areas around the castle itself need to be protected for safety and conservation reasons. We hope this will provide the reassurance and clarity that many people have been asking for.”

Current public access to Gwrych’s woodland is via Llanddulas. In time, GCPT hopes to develop a new route linking the woodland to Abergele.

From...https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/im-celebrity-castle-overcomes-years-33311886