News

Johnston: When good fences don’t make good neighbours

Published

9 years ago

August 7, 2015

A DISPUTE in Johnston has escalated after a landowner erected fencing to prevent cars from passing and repassing over the access to his home.

Greg Bishop, the owner of Johnston Hall, spoke to The Herald earlier this week to express his exasperation about the way he has been vilified by Johnston Community Council, who he has accused of not bothering to respond to proposals he advanced in February of this year.

In the kitchen of Johnston Hall, Greg Bishop laid out a series of maps, plans, and charts dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century. The maze of lines and markings show the changing face of the village and the division and subdivision of land over time.

From Mr Bishop’s perspective, the situation is as clear as the lines on the map, which he says show that a car park on Church Road was originally part of the access way to the Hall.

“I want to make it clear,” Mr Bishop told our reporter, “I’m not claiming the land on which the car park is. People can keep on using the car park. All I am saying is that I don’t want people parking their vehicles across my gateway or blocking my access route to and from my property.”

Mr Bishop expressed his grievance that his motives and intentions had been both misinterpreted and misrepresented within the village.

“At no time have I said I will stop people using the car park as a car park, but it is being used as a turning circle or roundabout, and when vehicles come out of the end of the car park nearest Johnston Hall, they are blocking and damaging my property.

“The Community Council certainly doesn’t own the car park. It certainly doesn’t own the access to my property. And yet members of the Community Council have taken it upon themselves to stick their oar in.”

“I approached the Community Council and when I got nowhere trying to speak with them, my solicitor wrote a letter in February of this year. I didn’t get an answer, either from the Community Council or any solicitors acting on their behalf. Instead a petition misrepresenting everything that letter said was circulated at the Polling Station in Johnston Institute and round the village on the day of the General Election.

“The content of that petition was untrue from start to finish. It was actively canvassing people to subscribe to a version of events to support a legal dispute in which the Community Council has managed to involve itself without any legal claim to the land in question. Again, what business is it of theirs? They don’t own the land, they don’t even claim to own the land. I tried talking with them, I made sensible proposals which they ignored. I have been advised to block off the end of the car park and I am considering my position on that.

“It is amazing to me that the solicitor who acted for Mr Evans when he sold the land to me, who acted when Mr Evans sold parts of the land to other people, finds himself able to act for the Community Council when Mr Evans has provided a witness statement in my ongoing application to the Land Registry.”

Mr Bishop reserved his sternest criticism for local County Councillor, Ken Rowlands, former Chair of Johnston Community Council who still sits as a member upon it: “I had gathered witness statements from three long standing Johnston residents. People who have been here a damned sight longer than me, and certainly longer than Mr Rowlands. One of them took his witness statement to show Ken Rowlands. Suddenly he decided that everything he had originally written in the statement was either untrue or he was not prepared to stick by it. What business was it of Mr Rowlands to interfere? It was nothing to do with him. As far as I am concerned, he has caused this dispute to arise. He is responsible for it.”

We spoke to Cllr Ken Rowlands about the dispute. Cllr Rowlands told us. His take on events was somewhat different: “What’s happened is that Mr Bishop made an approach to the community council about people parking in his gateway. We agreed to look at it, possibly arranging to paint some chevrons to prevent inconsiderate users of the car park from blocking his gates.

“Mr Bishop told us he would talk to his solicitors about it. The next thing we knew we had a letter laying claim to the car park and other land. That was completely unacceptable to us as a Community Council and we instructed our solicitors to respond.”

We pointed out that it was only after the previous landowner, Merrick Evans, had conveyed the land on which Fairfield Nursing Home sat, that the ‘car park’ area had been tarmacked by the Fairfield’s owner in the 1990’s. . At the time Fairfield had been built, the Hall’s then owner had imposed a condition regarding the maintenance of the roadway to adjoin Church Road. The existing pavement to the car park’s front had only been in position since 2006.

If the Community Council did not own the land and was not responsible for its upkeep, we asked Councillor Rowlands who was: “In light of the current situation, I have asked the Highways Department to adopt the roadway as a matter of urgency using its powers under S.31 of the Highways Act. There will shortly be an emergency meeting of the Community Council to discuss recent developments.”

He continued: “What I am concerned about here is that a facility that has been used for many years and is important for the flow of traffic has now been blocked off at one end. People using the surgery are having to reverse out of the car park.

“The end has now been fenced off and I had Council officers come out late at night to make sure it was safe and to erect high visibility signs around the fence which has now been put up.”

Mr Bishop told us: “I have followed my solicitor’s advice and put up a fence to protect my rights. I have said before, the Community Council’s attitude and the way I have been misrepresented is behind all of this. I have made generous offers that would place me to expense. The Community Council seems to think that it can do and say what it wants. It has inflamed the situation.”

News

Campaigners urge Welsh Government to adopt proportional representation for Local Elections

Published

38 mins ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Welsh Government to introduce the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system for local elections, following moves by two councils to shift away from the First Past the Post (FPTP) system being blocked on technical grounds.

Yesterday (Nov 14), Ceredigion Council voted narrowly, with an 18 to 17 majority, in favor of adopting STV. This follows Gwynedd Council’s decision last month, where 65% of councillors backed the move. However, both councils have been prevented from implementing STV due to a requirement for a two-thirds majority under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

In recent consultations, public support for STV has been overwhelming, with over 70% in Gwynedd and 67% in Ceredigion favoring the change. Only Powys Council rejected the proposal, despite 60.5% of its respondents supporting STV. Campaigners argue that the current system deprives voters of representation, citing that over 100,000 people were denied a vote in the 2022 elections due to uncontested seats.

The Electoral Reform Society Cymru (ERS Cymru) highlights the contrast with Scotland, where the introduction of STV for local elections in 2007 has significantly reduced uncontested seats. According to ERS Cymru, Scotland has had fewer uncontested seats in the last four elections combined than Gwynedd Council recorded alone in 2022.

Jess Blair, Director of ERS Cymru, said:

“Decisions made in council chambers affect everyone in those areas, so every vote should count. It’s absurd that councils choosing STV are blocked by a technicality, leaving them stuck with an outdated system that denies representation to thousands. The Welsh Government must act to avoid repeating the undemocratic outcomes of the last elections.”

Campaigners are now calling on the Welsh Government to introduce STV across all councils in Wales, ensuring representation that reflects the electorate’s wishes.

Business

Upgrades completed at Port of Milford Haven’s simulator suite

Published

1 hour ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

UPGRADES have been completed to state-of-the-art equipment within the Port of Milford Haven’s navigation simulator suite at Milford Waterfront enabling marine professionals to receive bespoke specialist training. The virtual reality simulation system can safely replicate a range of scenarios that seafarers may experience in real world situations such as extreme weather conditions, emergency situations and escort tug work.

The upgrades provided by Netherlands-based company MARIN contain the latest hardware in terms of processing power and graphics, as well as upgrades to MARIN’s ‘Dolphin’ software, increasing the capability to create scenarios. These are complemented with new 4k visuals on 75” screens which increase the depth and field of vision, adding to the realism.

Recently, a training day was led by Training Pilot Captain Mark Johnson, assisted by ex-Pilot Andy Hillier, involving members of the Svitzer team as well as Pilots Matt Roberts and Ian Coombes. As part of the scenario, they were faced with a loss of engine power and steering along with worsening weather and sea conditions. The Pilots had to communicate with Svitzer in order to successfully instruct them on how to tow and direct a drifting tanker. While scenarios like these are uncommon within port operations, it is important to rehearse procedures that would be implemented if they are required and enhances participants’ skill sets.

Marine Pilot and Simulator Instructor, Captain Ewan McNicoll, said “This simulator suite has future proofed our training capabilities, both internally for Pilots and marine staff, but also externally for clients wishing to use the facility, be it for training purposes or research and development. We can create any type of scenario with any type of ship, ranging from practicing ship handling manoeuvres to emergency situations, it really is game changing! Working with our partners at MARIN has been a complete success and I am very proud of our new facility.”

For more information about training at the navigation simulation suite please contact the Port of Milford Haven at [email protected] or 01646 696100.

Business

Thousands of homes in rural Wales gain from faster 4G boost

Published

7 hours ago

November 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RURAL Wales is seeing a major upgrade in mobile connectivity, with faster 4G now live in several areas. Seven locations across North, South West, and West Wales are benefitting from new 4G mast upgrades funded by the UK Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN), aimed at closing the digital gap between rural and urban areas.

The upgrades, which went live on Thursday (Nov 14), bring improved 4G coverage to communities including Bontddu, Llanelltyd, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Penmaenpool, Tabor, Snowdonia National Park, and Bontgoch. Local businesses, emergency services, and residents are expected to benefit from faster internet access, which supports daily communication, business opportunities, and economic growth.

***There is a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties***

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Fast, reliable connectivity is essential for modern life and should be available from Cardiff to the remotest parts of Wales. Today’s upgrades bring us closer to making this a reality.”

SUPPORTING DIGITAL INCLUSION

As part of the rollout, Peter Kyle and Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant visited Ebbw Vale to discuss digital inclusion with charity and industry leaders. They met with representatives at BGfm, a digital inclusion hub in Blaenau Gwent, to learn about how connectivity impacts daily life in Welsh communities.

Telecoms Minister Bryant said: “We are working tirelessly to make sure rural communities aren’t left behind online.

“These upgrades mean businesses can now operate without connectivity limitations, 999 services are better equipped to respond, and residents and tourists can stay connected across the Welsh countryside.”

ADDRESSING CONNECTIVITY GAPS

An estimated 1.5 million homes across the UK remain without internet access, limiting people’s ability to access essential services such as banking and healthcare. In addition to the SRN upgrades, the Chancellor has allocated over £500 million in next year’s budget for digital infrastructure expansion, targeting these underserved areas.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens highlighted the importance of this investment, particularly for rural Wales, where fast, reliable internet can be transformative.

“Connectivity is critical for day-to-day life in rural areas – from supporting local businesses to ensuring emergency services are just a call away,” Stevens said.

The upgraded masts, previously limited to EE customers and emergency 999 calls, now serve a wider user base, bringing essential internet access to more people without requiring new infrastructure.

Ben Roome, CEO of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, said: “With the activation of five new SRN sites, Wales is seeing the tangible benefits of the Shared Rural Network, bringing crucial connectivity to rural communities.”

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN REMOTE WALES

The improvements come alongside a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties, helping future-proof digital access in even the most isolated locations.

The latest upgrades mark another step in the Government’s mission to improve mobile coverage and close the connectivity gap across Wales, creating opportunities and supporting economic growth across rural communities.