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I
am Val Brown. I have been running two climbing equipment shops in
Snowdonia for almost thirty-six years. Few people have had longer
involvement personally with visitors who come to this area from all over
the world. My husband Joe Brown, has an international reputation in the
mountaineering world, I expect he could be said to be one of the
attractions of Llanberis. Local people have told us that we have helped to
put Llanberis 'on the map'. Be this as it may, we and the ten staff we
employ are just a few of the many hundreds of people who are horrified at
learning about the proposed Green Key Strategy which I understand will be
financed, or partly so, by European 'Objective One' funding.
Although
the scheme under different guises has been in the pipeline for several
years it only really came to the fore during the Foot & Mouth epidemic
when a Park and Ride scheme was enforced. The
experience of this re enforced in the minds of almost everyone who was
effected, just how totally impractical the scheme was for an area such as
this, where a wide variety of people get great pleasure from the many
diverse activities which they are able to indulge in in the Snowdonia
National Park. As I understand it, this is what the National Parks were
established for.
Can
I draw your attention to the fact that local and nation wide opinion is
almost totally against the scheme. It has been devised by people who seem
to have no understanding of why people really come to the area, other than
to visit superimposed attractions museums etc. They totally ignore the
needs of the visitors who come because of their love of the mountain
environment. They are ready to impose restrictions in use of the park
which will be disastrous for the local economy. Many people will simply
stop coming if their activities are bound by the strictures of having to
use a bus service, which cannot possibly meet their requirements.
I
enclose copies of several papers and letters, which delve into the effect
of the project more deeply. Please read these papers, only a few of the
many that have been written. I hope that after doing so you will be of the
opinion that it would be madness to finance a scheme so detrimental to
this beautiful part of Wales. There are many other ways of benefiting the
area, the tourist trade and the local economy, such as the establishment
of good pathways which would cost a fraction of that needed for the Green
Key' project. This would meet with nothing but favour, and a good reliable
bus service to run along side normal private transport would also be
welcome.
I
would be obliged if you would give the matter your immediate attention.
Moves are already being made to restrict parking and we all fear that the
plan is gradually going to be implemented regardless of local opinion.
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