Those AGAINST Comments
“Not suitable for the environment or area, noise pollution a massive concern, as is traffic in and out of the village.”
“Makes me so angry that Taxpayers money has been used to do this without any proper thought and for an organisation that creates pollution in so so many ways"
"The Noise pollution in this valley will be horrendous and that caused by a regular influx of traffic attending Gilestone will not only add to that pollution but also cause havoc not only in Tal y Bont but also in every other Community on route."
"The increased traffic through Llangorse, Bwlch and Llangynidr will destroy Tourism in this National Park not help support it. What is the point of there being National Parks?”
"We used to live 3 miles from the Reading Festival and could hear the music clearly at that distance, even though it was a busy, urban environment. Any music festival at Gilestone Farm will resonate along the valley for miles and disturb all local residents and wildlife in what is a peaceful and quiet rural environment.”
“The staging of large-scale events at Gilestone Farm would not only be harmful to the wildlife but would destroy the village. The people that visit Talybont come for the peace and quiet, festivals/events at Gilestone Farm would drive visitors away.The visitors we have now are people that support the local shop/cafe and pubs, not visitors just here for a festival/event. We have already experienced events held at Gilestone Farm and they bring nothing to the village."
“I think we should be allowed to give alternative ideas for the use of Gilestone Farm as it is taxpayers money that has purchased it. The idea that Gilestone Farm should be turned into an agricultural college as mentioned in the Brecon & Radnor Express this week would be excellent for the local and surrounding communities. There always used to be an agricultural college in Brecon, I could never understand why that was closed, as agriculture is one of the main industries in this area."
“The Welsh Assembly Government keep saying the reason they bought Gilestone was to keep the Greenman brand in Wales. How can they stop Fiona Stewart from selling her private company in the next few years. The majority of the suppliers and artists she uses for the Greenman Festival do not come from Wales, so it will probably be sold and moved out of Wales. Which means the Welsh Assembly Government would not have achieved what they had set out to do and wasted 4.25 million of taxpayer money. "
“Which company will be signing the lease, if it is agreed. This is another worry, as Fiona Stewart seems to have a number of companies she could use. Green Man Festival Limited is a dormant company and Green Man Trust Limited is just a company used to pass money to her other companies."
“The Welsh Assembly Government should have asked the community of Talybont-on-Usk what our thoughts were on their plans before they purchased Gilestone Farm.”
“Madness. This needs a full enquiry. It is unexplainable. Turning the Usk Valley into a PERMANENT Music venue may fit well with Green Man and lining their pockets but would be devastating for Wildlife, Nature and indeed the people that live here in A National Park which was created to protect us from exactly this sort of mass carnage.”
“The site so close to village and in a National Park is quite unsuitable for such events.”
“To have thousands of people turn up to a very small village for a festival would completely destroy Talybont."
"The drugs and drink that is always associated with festivals would cause major problems to the people of Talybont and the wildlife Talybont would no longer be a quiet and charming village but instead overcrowded with people who actually don't care about our beautiful surroundings."
"Has there been any thought on how this amount of traffic would be handled in the village? Have you thought about the noise and air pollution? The litter when the drunks stumble up into the village? Our spectacular wildlife? We MUST always try to attract the right people to this village who will appreciate its beauty and this is certainly not the right approach! Talybont is known for its tranquillity, let's not change this view!!!
"The staging of the proposed festivals at Gilestone farm will cause traffic disruption, noise pollution and stress to local wildlife in the area. The previous location could cope with the festival as its location was not in a village setting." I strongly disagree with the proposal to hold the events at Gilestone farm.”
“Large scale events will totally overwhelm our village and the current road system will not be able to cope with a greatly increased volume of traffic . I would welcome development of small businesses which could give permanent employment to local people”
“The Gilestone proposals are not supported as far as I am aware of any approved business case. The purported figure for jobs is at best misleading. They are not new jobs in the main, they are from existing business and suppliers in the area not new jobs".
"The noise pollution is being addressed by the company's surveys". No independent survey that I am aware of has been conducted / published and disseminated for comments. The lack of consultation with the community reflects the perception of a deal being done without due process and perhaps it should be referred to the police for potential corruption?"
"The prior noise issues and drunken behaviour when previously owned in the past resulted in the caravan site being closed, what has changed???”
“Many aspects, associated with purchase and potential development of Gilestone farm, appear to be shrouded in mystery / potential deception. Representations to local meetings by the Welsh government and by the potential ‘owner / manager’ have failed to clarify the future use of Gilestone farm."
" Without clarity and honesty, local people can have no trust in any promises made to them and, because of that, I could not support large scale events at this point."
" So, be honest with us, give the people more solid details of proposals, set clear limits on the type of events and the number of attendees and I believe many people might be supportive. The possibility of interesting local employment would obviously be a very positive outcome.”
“My husband and I know that this would be detrimental to both wildlife and the environment.”
“Insane and unexplainable decision by Welsh Government to purchase this Farm for the purpose of Music Festivals particularly given its location and previous planning History. The potential negative Environmental damage would be huge never mind the impact on the local community and the natural environment. Its simply wrong place and this ridiculous decision should be opposed at every opportunity until the Government comes to its senses....if that’s at all possible...Madness!!”
“My particular interest in Gilestone farm relates to its wildlife including those parts of the farm bordering the river Usk. These areas are where protected and at risk bird species have been and continue to be recorded. It is beyond any comprehension that the wildlife could be put at risk by festivals. We are in a National Park - do we really need a second 'home' for a Green Man festival in this Park. The Park is for 'quiet enjoyment' and sustainable living - there is nothing quiet or sustainable about a music festival.”
“Our daughter is an ecologist for a large company based in Bristol and does a lot of work in Wales. Her knowledge of this area is based on 25 years experience. Her opinion is that it would be detrimental for both wild life and the environment. My wife’s and my opinion is the same.”
“I am particularly interested in the wildlife at Gilestone, especially the lesser horseshoe bats which I helped to survey under the auspices of the Vincent Wildlife Trust. Our work demonstrated just how important this particular undisturbed farmland is to this species of bat which abhors light and noise. It appals me that the government and Green Man could consider using this farm for festivals.”
“I don’t agree that events should be held with up to 3000 people in attendance. I can remember the disruption to the village when we had the caravan park at Gilestone Farm. There were never anywhere near 3000 people at Gilestone Farm during this period and the village could not cope them. The caravan park changed the village in a very negative way, it drove a lot of our tourist visitors away. Events/festivals of this size would have a devastating impact on the natural environment and village life."
"How are these visitors travelling to Gilestone Farm? The entrance road is a single track, with this amount of traffic there will be a traffic jam right back up on the A40 and through the village from the back road from Llangynidr. It will be an absolute nightmare for people living in the village and local users of public transport. We quite often have to queue to get through the village on weekends now! Potentially you could have an event taking place at the Old Station, Gilestone Farm and a caravan rally at Talybont Farm all on the same weekend, has anyone thought of the implications of that?"
The people of the village need to be included in the consultation process with the Welsh Government on this as it is going to destroy our surroundings and our way of life. The Welsh Government are a disgrace. What a waste of public money and a total disregard for the lives of the people living in the community of Talybont-on-Usk. You would have thought that they would have looked at the history of Gilestone Farm more closely before buying it."
How can you stop the brand of Green Man being sold in the future and moving out of Wales. It is a privately owned company, and the shareholders of that company can do what they want!”"
“Talybont is a quite country village and should remain that way. Plus 4.25 million should have been spent on the local healthcare system.”
“I do not agree with the purchase of Gilestone Farm by the Welsh Assembly Government for the purpose of protecting the Green Man brand. What a waste of taxpayers’ money when there are so many other areas of Wales that could have benefited from 4.25 million."
The idea that Talybont-on-Usk community could be subjected to festivals of up to 3000 people is unbelievable. My understanding is Fiona Stewart plans to have a Bakery, Brewery, Cafe and whatever else she requires to keep the people who are visiting her festival/event on site. How is that going to be of benefit to the village. The people who come to Talybont for holidays are going to be driven away by the noise and disruption of these festivals."
"Why should we have to put up with this, surely the Welsh Government should have looked at the history of Gilestone Farm. The campsite/caravan park did not work, the planning application was eventually revoked. How could it now be considered alright to subject the community of Talybont with even more noise and disruption than we had before. It just does not make any sense!”
“I agree with the UVCG's statement above regarding support for sustainable farming and other activities on the site that contribute to local employment. I also agree that large scale events will be harmful to wildlife and disruptive to the community.”
“I strongly oppose any use of Gilestone farm for large gatherings. It must remain principally as a productive agricultural farm.”
“Based upon the experience of the Green Man Festivals held over recent years at Glanusk Estate, the traffic chaos, loud music and presence of hordes of people likely to come into Talybont village, such festivals as described are VERY UNDESIRABLE HERE. Another large waste of taxpayer money by the useless Welsh Government when there are Welsh people needing food, heating and even a residence to call their own.”
“When there was the caravan campsite at Gilestone the noise travelled throughout the valley and was very intrusive. The noise continued into the early morning and made sleep very difficult.”
“I think this plan would be a disastrous one for the valley and for the area. Noise pollution, litter, traffic and disturbance. The aims of a national park are to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of an area. The Brecon Beacons should be an area where people can walk, appreciate nature and be a place of peace and tranquillity. This is what it is known for. I cannot see how music festivals of this sort will celebrate this. I also cannot see how the Welsh Government was able to buy Gilestone at such a price when the Welsh NHS has been crippled and money could have been apportioned to better causes.”
“This is a gross abuse of process by the Welsh Government. The secrecy is unacceptable. The misuse of information being put into the media by the Government is again unacceptable.”
“1.The email 7 December, confirms my considerable concerns that the Welsh Government would not draw up a watertight lease with the Green Man organisation to limit them to 3 events of no more than 3,000 people. Or that penalties would be in place sufficient to stop them defaulting. 2. Any of the three events could only be held after June to reduce the impact to the breeding season of wildlife 3. On a personal level I admit, there would be a marked increase in traffic through Pencelli.”
“500 people or thereabouts doesn't sound a huge amount to me but up to 3,000 would be a different matter, particularly the impact of the additional traffic in and around the village. Also the impact on the village would of course be dependent upon the type (and noise levels) of events.”
“Ecological impact is unacceptable. Traffic increase to country roads unacceptable. Tax payers money spent and premises handed over to private business totally unacceptable. Where was the local consultation, totally disrespectful.”
“The proposals for Gilestone Farm are not compatible with the existing holidays, residents or wildlife of this area of outstanding natural beauty and SSSI. Talybont is a holiday destination, not a holiday camp. More suitable proposals should be sought.”
“i. No consultation prior decision to use Gilestone as festival site.
ii. Public funds being used to gift property to private start-up company.
iii. Destruction of a peaceful and beautiful stretch of Usk Valley.
iv. Talybont on Usk already has thousands of visitors, this development will overwhelm the village.”
“Noise from Green Man was excessive when I lived in Crickhowell. The entrance road to Gilestone is completely unsuitable for the extra traffic a festival would cause. Talybont does not have enough infrastructure in the way of shops/pubs to support this. Most of all, I fear for the wildlife, the current (reasonably) litter-free and lovely scenery enjoyed by walkers, bikers etc., and the local businesses already established at Gilestone. This should be farm land. I go to festivals myself but if they are in rural locations like ours they should be small and acoustic only.”
“Strongly disagree with any future festivals of any size. Has anyone taken the only bridge to the village into consideration? It has a weight limit of 24T. Can this withstand the extra volume of vehicles crossing i.e. lorry, coaches etc.?”
“Another hare-brained money losing scheme by the Welsh Government that will eradicate most of the wildlife (except for rats) and another large productive farm goes by the wayside. When will these intelligent (??) people wake up to the fact that our ever-growing ever hungry population cannot survive on syringes, needles, and tons & tons of rubbish because that’s the only crap they will get.”
“The actual purchase of the farm did not follow government procurement rules and must be independently investigated.”
“We feel that holding festivals so near to the village would be detrimental to the community, the heritage of the village, and the environment.”
“Village/community too small to accommodate such large numbers, even 3 times a year.”
“I am in agreement with UVCG in that I support the potential for creating new jobs and business opportunities, however I feel that the village cannot sustain frequent large scale events, throughout the year.”
“Why did the Welsh Gov spend so much purchasing this farm? 4.25 million of tax payers’ money. Now they want to allow large scale events instead of farming the farm. It is disgraceful that his is being allowed with no thought to the disruption to the local community with excess noise & traffic. We are totally against these plans.”
“Concern over access for so many on and off the A40 and Station Road as well as weak bridge with a single lane for traffic.”
“As a local resident I have severe concerns about the amount of traffic these events will introduce to the area. I cannot help but feel that on event days traffic will back up onto the A40 (in both directions) and along station road. There is also the single lane weak bridge to take into account when first leaving the A40. The amount of traffic will make using station road as access to the A40 not possible during event days. The amount of pollution this will introduce to the area is also not insubstantial, not to mention that from any large vehicles making deliveries in the lead up to any events. Further to the vehicular chemical pollution there will also be the light and noise pollution introduced to what is a tranquil and sensitive part of the national park.”
“The site is wholly unsuited to large events and there will be little benefit to the community in employment or for business. The role played by the Welsh Government is deeply suspect on several counts.”
“Me & many neighbours I have spoken with are appalled that Green Man & other Festivals would be staged so close to village. No one @ Welsh Government probably ever visited the farm to see that access for so many vehicles, some of which will be huge for the music festivals to build staging etc., is totally inadequate. I own land the other side of the river Usk & know when the previous owners had camping & caravan park many people misread directions & attempted to gain access via my land & drove across towards the river? A local farmer rescued them. I could envisage people who couldn't gain access or didn't want to pay "fly pitching" opposite in my land and farmers. The noise would be overwhelming. Furthermore, the pubs & car park in Talybont could not cope with the influx of so many visitors. Together with this is the damage and disturbance to wildlife, fishing. One can only imagine the rubbish & human waste that would be going into the river & surrounding area. The lay-bys. I know this because people park and hop over the gate. We don't want to be NIMBIES BUT we live in a beautiful National Park and realise the authorities are under pressure to support tourism & local jobs but this project is on an Industrial scale. The holiday lodges already on site must be quite lucrative & the mansion house - if not now occupied by a private owning family, what is happening to that? I hope you are successful in stopping even 3 events a year because the noise carries this far to Aber Village! Some years ago there was an illegal rave up on the mountains. Thousands turned up, the music could be heard down the valley on a summer night - we wondered where the music came from - all night long! If they are staged on a wet summer weekend the damage to the land takes a very long time to recover - ask Harry Legge Bourke @ Glanusk Park where the festivals have several entrances & a large acreage & are contained. Thank you for your efforts on our behalf.”
“Would overload the area already extensively used for a wide variety of activities. Natural habitats already under pressure from current visitor level / farming. Would deter some present visitors due to the change of atmosphere / crowding. The events proposed could be held in nearby public parks: Baily park Abergavenny / Cyfarthfa Castle park Merthyr Tydfil.”
“500 people or thereabouts doesn't sound a huge amount to me but up to 3,000 would be a different matter, particularly the impact of the additional traffic in and around the village. Also the impact on the village would of course be dependent upon the type (and noise levels) of events.”
“I support the local employment opportunities but not the festivals .Up to 3000 people would mean at minimum 1000 vehicles creating havoc in this small community and at the junction on the A40. I also think that holiday boats would tie up to listen free to the music coming from the farm and possibly join in with their own music and drinking along the canal which would further destroy our peaceful area and it's wildlife habitat. There is no doubt that these events would increase in coming years with the Green Man ,as now, looking to expand further.”
“The visitor numbers postulated and the infrastructure necessary to support so many people must inevitably have a damaging effect on the ecosystem of this beautiful Usk valley floodplain habitat”
“While we are not directly impacted we are concerned for the quality of life of the residents of Talybont village, the safety of road users and access as well as the safety of festival goers at any time of year in that flood plain, with memories of floods even during Royal Welsh week in July.”
“Talybont is too small a village, and its other amenities are not sufficient, nor its infrastructure, to support such large-scale events. Talybont’s important tourism brand is appreciation of the peace & quiet of nature, and its dark skies. Its regular tourists, particularly at bank holidays & summer would find the very essence of their holidays completely destroyed during such festivals, and this would damage the tourism industry for the rest of the year. The current Green Man Festival has the town of Crickhowell to sustain it. We are too small.”
“Our village already is too busy for these type of events. The roads won’t cope or not enough parking.”
“No way enough room for that sort of traffic or room let for people in summer time.”
“Traffic. Noise throughout the valley. Impact on wildlife. Inappropriate rural location. Lack of transparency by Welsh Govt & festival organisers. Why not Newport with its music? Regenerate.”
“The local infrastructure doesn’t support this. I am equally concerned about how the WG spent the £4.25 million on buying the farm in the first place. Public money spent on s scheme with no business plan in place of examination of intent.”
“People come to Talybont from far & wide to enjoy quiet activities like boating, hiking, cycling & camping. Who in their right mind thinks this would be enhanced by loud music, huge event trucks, 3000+ drugged up and drunk blocking roads & littering!!!”
“I believe that festivals would be harmful to our local environment and the wildlife that exists. It would be disruptive to our peaceful community and the elderly that live in our village. The noise from the festivals would have an impact on everyone living in our village – including young families.”
“I would much prefer Gilestone to be developed for sustainable ecotourism. There could be a base for field studies (v.little now/none (?) in the Park). Brecon’s showground (off the Watton) could be used for music festivals: the town would benefit from the tourism & enhanced profile.”
“Would destroy a beautiful village.”
“There is a already a nuisance coming from Gilestone Farm during spring/summer due to events and weddings. Environmental health have been contacted about these already. I don’t want any further problems of this nature!!”
“If permission is granted for these events we will not cope with the problems this will bring once are held. I do not believe that there will only be 3 events a year once the infrastructure is on site, but even there are only the 3 events these will still cause problems for the residents. We are a small village and already have problems with visitors using us the starting point for their walks. We have a small village car park which is full by 9am!! Because of this the extra cars and vans park on the street. They park on Penpentre estate & do not seem to care that they are blocking car entrances etc. as they leave for an all day hike. They also park all the way along the main road the residents have to use. They put bags etc. on the pavements so you have to walk on the road. You may be wondering how this is relevant to Gilestone, but by the very human nature, they will drive up into the village & as we already have these problems where are they going to park? For me, the main problems are the noise and lights. The lights are very visible and flash. The music carries across the open fields & you can clearly hear it even with the windows shut. It goes on late into the night & you have people walking through the village in the dark who have decided to have a little walk to explore. You cannot help but hear them as they do tend to shout and laugh as they walk. I am all for business being able to grow, but do have to think of the impact of the success on the people who live around you.”
“The village cannot cope with such large numbers of people.”
“While we appreciate that we rely on tourism for businesses in the village, it is already very difficult to cope with the number of visitors we have. There is one main road through Talybont and one small car park. We live in Penpentre and Gilestone is across open land to this estate. When events are held there the music is clearly heard & the flashing lights are very visible. This village is not designed for a large influx of visitors and we do not believe that all the people who attend those events will stay on site. They will have the urge to go for a drive up into the village. The problems we already have with parking are difficult to cope with. We have to move our cars out into the road in the morning or we will find someone has come along and parked right across the driveway. Cars park all along the road into the village now. When you are trying to walk you have to go out into the road as they tend to park halfway up the kerb. Although we are led to believe that visitors to the events at Gilestone will not impact the village, realistically we will have the noise, the lights, and the people walking and driving in the village in addition to the numerous visitors we already have.”
“My main problem is that it was bought by Welsh Government in the first place using money that is needed for many other services e.g. NHS, education etc. Seems a big waste of money.”
“We already have enough going on in the village without a festival going on. Our village can’t cope with parking already.”
“Talybont cannot support these huge events – they will be harmful to the village and the environment and disruptive to the lives of the inhabitants.”
“When the National Park encourages us to made the most of the outdoors as it is beneficial to our well-being, surely this is not what they meant. It is time the well-being of local residents was taken into consideration. So, I strongly object to festivals being held at Gilestone.”
“The infrastructure of the village would be completely overwhelmed if events were to be held at Gilestone Farm. The village is already coping at maximum capacity with the number of tourists that descend on the village plus the regular running events that are already held in our area. It goes without saying that the noise from such events would be intolerable to the local residents plus many surrounding villages. The area is noted for its dark sky at night, this is already interrupted with the making of films carried our locally when the night sky is illuminated throughout their time here. Festivals in the area would only contribute to this problem."
" The problem with flooding and the impact on wildlife has also not been thoroughly thought through. As a previous owner was denied planning of a similar nature, once can only assume that any applications made to the National Park would also be declined.”
“We could not support large scale events unless & until there is more information of the impact of events of this scale. Our concerns are: does festivals mean 3 days or 3 events of several days? Noise pollution which damages environment/wildlife & residents lives. Occasionally wedding/events (of presumably less than 500 people) are there already. While these may be reasonable in size/duration, they can be heard even indoors doors & windows closed. Music events would therefore be heard across the valley so far more investigation/research/discussion is needed on possible impact on area & environment. How would village infrastructure (pubs, shop, farming activities, other businesses) be affected? Would or could festivals put off visitors wanting a quiet break? Up to 3,000 people (plus crews and ancillary support) would be a lot for a small village. What ‘offsets’ would there be in relation to environmental damage/risks? What benefits would the proposal bring in terms of economic or social benefits? How can we assess risk/benefit when there is little information in the public domain about assessments/research that may have been done? If they have been done, why are they not available? If they haven’t been done, how & when will they be? This proposal seems to lack a clear timeline on process (at least to date). When will this be clearer? While villages need to move forwards & diversify economic activities, this proposal risks losing what the village does so well at the moment – a haven for walkers, bikers etc.”
“Village too small for more traffic.”
“The traffic in the village unsustainable. Sound carries from the low proximity of the farm. Flooding danger.”
“Our concerns are about the traffic in Talybont and risk that people over-use valley up past reservoir with cars & impact on other users.”
“We are against any large scale events, in particular music festivals, being held at Gilestone Farm, as they could have a damaging effect on the environment and local community.”
“The brewery would be nice but a farm college would be nicer.”
“We certainly do NOT support the staging of any large scale gatherings of any type at Gilestone Farm as the village structure is not able to cope with a large influx of visitors or traffic and would cause great disruption to the local residents. I have studied the very detailed traffic survey on your website and they have come to the same conclusion that the highways system is not suitable and vast amounts of money would have to be spent in order to cope with all the additional traffic involved. It is ridiculous to expect our small village to cope with the influx of all the visitors but what is even more worrying is how all the relevant utility services would be able to cope. Surely common sense should prevail here and it should be accepted that the village is far too small for any large scale events to be held here.”
“I do NOT support the staging of large scale events at Gilestone. As you suggest, future festivals may be larger or more frequent…or both. I support your view of disruption to wildlife, the environment & the community. The upper limit of acceptable residential noise is also likely to be breached. Furthermore, the idea of access to the site via the A 40 or the B4558 is ridiculous / appalling.”
“In line with all normal Government practice, no confidential deals must be done with anyone, there are strict rules about Government procurement and the role of Civil Servants. Normal accepted practice is for any government offer of assets to be rented or services to be supplied, must be offered on the open market for tender by any interested parties who make formal submissions for consideration by the relevant Civil Servants and Procurement Team running the process. Not following this process may be unlawful and this should be checked thoroughly before proceeding any further. lest unwittingly, with the benefit of hindsight, those involved come to regret decisions taken and actions carried out."
“The Gilestone Farm site, as an asset owned by the people of Wales, on whose behalf the Welsh Government and Civil Service are custodians, must be offered by public tender to any interested parties, so that submissions can be received for the best possible use of the asset, benefitting the local and broader Welsh community.
“The decision group must involve Welsh Govt, Welsh Civil Service, Local community, local govt, National Park and local Business so a fair and balanced decision can be reached.
“This will allow The Department for Education, The Green Man, Local Businesses, The National Park, any interested private or public entity, all to submit their proposals so that they can all be considered in open session with the interested parties and a suitable decision reached for the benefit of all.
The Welsh Government Business Department will be very expert in this process as it is mandatory in so many fields and can run a three stage process as normal.
1 Advertise for initial submissions and receive all over a twelve week period
2 Initial assessment and short list to eight for final submission
3 Receive final submissions, reduce to four and meet with the four , for presentations, detailed scrutiny and terms and award successful bid, followed up with formal contracts.
All documentation is available for public scrutiny on line as required.
For the avoidance of doubt The Crown Commercial Service publishes Procurement Rules and the legal framework which is strict and the rules can be found on WWW.Gov.uk Public Procurement Policy, and this policy must be followed if we are to avoid unfortunate consequences so we assume these rules have been completely followed so far by all involved parties.
Let's do it right first time."
==============================
Those FOR Comments.
“Yes - with restrictions, organisation information /planning particularly around traffic passing through talybont”
“I think it's a great opportunity to bring more employment and spending into the area. Green Man have a good track record with a much larger event at Glanusk - minimising impact on the environment and local community, and indeed giving back to the community - and I believe they would be as considerate if not more so with smaller scale activities. I'm also very supportive of a local large scale regenerative farming project.”
“We are inn full support of future events at Gilestone Farm under the Green Man umbrella. We welcome the employment and economic benefits that this will bring to the area. Farming is important, but cannot sustain the community alone. A large proportion of the local economy is based on tourism and we see this as an extension of that. The National Park was designated to be enjoyed by all so we should be embracing that intent not trying to keep it for ourselves and turning people away, because they may cause us an occasional mild irritation. We should see this as a fantastic opportunity to make Gilestone Farm a centre of excellence and be grateful to Green Man and the Welsh Government that his is even possible, let alone on our very doorstep. We know Green Man have a proven track record before of supporting and working with communities to ensure the potential disruption and affect on wildlife of any event is minimised.”
“Up to 3000 ok - don’t agree with more than this number or more events”
”Why not, extra attraction to the village/general area”
=================================
DON’T KNOWS/DIDN’T ANSWER/SPOILED BALLOTS
“Waiting for formal plans before making up my mind.”
“I am not making a decision based on supposition, speculation, or rumour. Until I read formal, definitive proposals from those concerned, I shall reserve my decision.”
“We don’t feel able to comment at this time – we would like to know what type of festival it would be – food – Christmas – craft etc. Also, it would depend on what and how many businesses that would be beneficial to Talybont on Usk. The business (a bakery, for example) would be here and open every day. This could compensate for the disruption of festivals.”
“If any events occur 20% of takings should go towards Talybont community. The farm should be run by young local farmers. A map should be made by Charles Weston of all underground electrical cables and water pipes, to avoid accidents – possible deaths. Locals should have priority of employment first and no fireworks used without prior notice to community council. Accounts made known to locals every year as public money used for purchase of farm.”
“As details of events have not been announced it is impossible to answer this question, although you seem to be assuming ‘loud music’ & scaring villagers. As you were aware, the community council are waiting for further information from the Welsh Government & Fiona Stewart in com their mext meeting with them. So we feel this survey has completely undermined what the community council are already doing & it is inciting hatred amongst villagers. We do feel a farm wherever possible should operate as a farm but also understand that farms employ a minimum amount of people & therefore understand in some cases diversification is needed to make them financially viable, which is what is currently happening at Gilestone. You seem to assume an event could be a festival, which implies loud music, which could be misleading. You also haven’t told villagers that the Welsh government has stipulated everything will be carried out in line with guidelines/laws protecting the environment & wildlife. Why are you not stating these facts, so you actually get true results?”
END
===================
Copyright © 2023 Usk Valley Conservation Group - All Rights Reserved.
Information about Community Poll sent to all residents of Talybont on Usk by the Usk Valley Conservation Group