Road to nowhere

Aug 29 2002 By Helen Harper, Caernarfon And Denbigh Herald

A YEAR-LONG dispute which has seen a couple practically marooned on their property is yet to be resolved.

Vivian and Betty Lewis, fr m Bron Haul farm, outside Llanllyfni, have been cut off from what was easy access to Porthmadog since the new bypass for Llanllyfni opened and the old A487 through the village was closed.

Mr Lewis, and his wife Betty, look after people with special needs on their farm, and he has to make two return journeys a day to Porthmadog.

The only alternative route for him is to go back into Penygroes, or to use the narrow winding road through Nasareth which has increased traffic, or the road around Bwlch Derwyn which they compare to a track and which has proved to be very dangerous with the couple having three near-misses in the past week.

They now want a slip road on to the bypass to serve Bron Haul.

With the help of the Farmers' Union of Wales, Mr Lewis has collected 300 signatures on a petition arguing for better access, and a letter about the situation has also been sent to Sue Essex, the Assembly's Environment Minister, and he is waiting for a reply.

Mrs Lewis explained: "Half the width of the road on the other side of the gate, which blocks off the road, is now private property.It took less than a week for the field's owner to make an access for his animals, and we want a sliproad half the size of that on land owned by the National Assembly."

Mr Lewis said: "I bought my house 16 years ago, and there were two points of access. If I knew it was going to be closed, I would never have bought the place."

Councillor OP Huws said: "There was a public inquiry years ago to find the route of the road, and everybody involved agreed which way the road was going to go. We have asked the National Assembly and Gwynedd Council to see if it would be possible for a link road, but there is no practical way of doing it."