Closure date given for Eryri visitor centre as 'disrepair' fears raised

Andrew Forgrave

21 November 2024 at 3:53 am·4-min read

Coed y Brenin visitor Centre at Ganllwyd — -Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)

A Gwynedd visitor centre run by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is to remain open for another four months. Coed y Brenin will then shut on March 31, 2025, along with two more NRW sites in Ceredigion – Ynyslas and Bwlch Nant yr Arian.

Confirmation of the closure date brings certainty to the staff who have endured a year of speculation and confusion. Closure of all retail and catering facilities at the three centres is part of efforts to cut £12m from NRW’s budget.

The closures have have been described as “temporary” as NRW looks to lease the facilities to private enterprise. To this end, the body is launching a public tendering exercise seeking potential partners.

All paths, trails, car parks, play areas and toilet facilities will remain open at the sites. Public meetings are being organised near each centre in November to update local communities on the plans (see dates below).

Critics have long argued for a seamless transition should retail and catering facilities be transferred to community or private management. But NRW said the tendering process won’t start until after the three centres have closed. As a public sector organisation, the environmental body said it has strict procurement regulations and processes that must be followed.

NRW’s cost-cutting plans will include removing 233 roles from its structure. Of these, only 120 are currently occupied and these roles are now at risk. NRW hopes to redeploy some of those staff within the organisation as it looks to “refocus” its resources. Enforcement and regulatory roles are being reduced while water regulatory compliance positions are increased.

Thanking visitor centre staff for their “hard work and dedication”, NRW's Elsie Grace said: “We understand how important our sites are to local communities and visitors and we know the decision to stop providing catering and retail services is disappointing to many people. Our board made the decision in response to the extremely tight funding situation we and other public bodies face.

“We will look for partners, both community groups and businesses, to register an interest in providing these services. We’ll will provide more information on how to submit expressions of interest ahead of the launch of any tender exercise.” Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone

Six new gravel routes were opened at Coed y Brenin in May this year -Credit:NRW

Coed y Brenin, near Dolgellau, is a world-class mountain bike centre. Despite pledges to keep its trails open, uncertainty surrounds their ongoing maintenance. The UK MTB Trail Alliance fears the trails will “end up going into disrepair” if there are no staff to maintain them.

The alliance said “coordinated action” by the UK’s mountain bike community may be needed if Coed y Brenin’s trails are to be safeguarded. But Elsie, who is NRW’s head of sustainable commercial development, insisted: “We will continue to maintain our sites to ensure public access continues."

In a joint statement, Dwyfor Meirionnydd poliitians last week described NRW’s decision to close Coed y Brenin as a “devastating blow”. Mabon ap Gwynfor MS and Liz Saville Roberts MP said there was overwhelming support for community ownership with local group Caru Coed y Brenin well-placed to take over the site’s running.

They said: “The people of Coed y Brenin and the surrounding area have made Coed y Brenin what it is, and both NRW and the Welsh Government should bear this in mind when tendering for future ownership. It is extremely regrettable that sufficient time wasn’t afforded to allow local groups to formally submit business plans, despite NRW assuring us in February that nothing would happen for two or three years.

“The closure of this fantastic resource is being rushed through without meaningful consultation and scrutiny, and with little regard to the impact on the local and visitor economies. Coed y Brenin is a fantastic brand which requires real investment and development. If NRW and the Welsh Government aren’t willing to properly invest in the site then they should step aside and transfer responsibility to the local community who are ready and willing to step in.”

NRW said that, to “ensure fairness and parity”, no proposals will be considered in advance of the start of the public tender process. More details and a start date will be publicised in due course. The process will be promoted via the Sell2Wales website and interested parties can register in advance on the platform. There’s more information here.

NRW public meetings

Nov 25: Borth Community Hall, High Street, Borth, SY24 5LH, starting at 7pm.
Nov 26: Neuadd Penllwyn Capel Bangor, Aberystwyth, SY23 3LS, starting at 6.30 pm.
Nov 27: Ganllwyd Village Hall, Llafar Y Lli, Ganllwyd, LL40 2TF, starting at 6.30pm.

No booking is necessary but NRW warns venues may reach capacity. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday

Find family activities near you

FTW Outdoors
Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond
Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its
Wales Online
These lights are being installed around a Welsh city - there's a problem if you see them flashing red or purple
It is the first city in the UK to have the lights installed
The Telegraph
Watch: Killer whales swim right up to onlookers on waterfront
A pod of killer whales shocked onlookers in Shetland by swimming up to the shore.
The Telegraph
Cost of switching off UK wind farms soars to ‘absurd’ £1bn
British bill payers have spent an “absurd” £1bn to temporarily switch off wind turbines so far this year as the grid struggles to cope with their power.
People
Colo. Girl, 4, Approached Animal She Thought Was Dog. It Was Actually a Coyote, Who Attacked Child
“The agency is reminding everyone to be vigilant of their children and pets when living amid wildlife,” the Colorado Parks and Wildlife statement said
Wales Online
Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs
Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024
Manchester Evening News
Couple turning £25k water tower into dream home in Grand Designs-esque makeover receive devastating news
Mary and Sean Davies bought the former RAF hospital site for just £25,000 back in 2018
Reuters
Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives
Standing on the rooftop of a 16-storey residential apartment building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Valerii Pyndyk pointed to several rows of solar panels. Pyndyk hopes the installation - one of the first of its kind by residents in Kyiv - will help about 1,000 families living in the building get through what could prove Ukraine's most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion. The two previous winters of the war were already challenging, but Russia has now intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.
The Independent
Bendy solar panels to meet energy demand of 20 nuclear reactors
Mass producuction of perovskite solar panels offers path for Japan to supercharge its renewable energy transition
The Hill
Feeding grazing cows seaweed could cut their methane emissions by nearly 40 percent: Study
Supplementing the diets of grazing beef cows with seaweed in pellet form could cut their methane emissions by almost 40 percent, a new study has found. The seaweed pellets led to this plunge in emissions without affecting the health or weight of the cows, according to the study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National…
Storyful
San Antonio Zoo Welcomes New Giraffe Named Waffles
San Antonio Zoo’s giraffe herd expanded on Friday, November 29, as the zoo welcomed Waffles, a female reticulated giraffe.Reticulated giraffes are a threatened species and according to San Antonio Zoo, Waffles’ transfer represented an important step in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) – a conservation initiative aiming to protect wildlife for generations to come.“Waffles’ arrival is a moment for celebration at the zoo, and the next step in building our herd for future breeding,” said Tim Morrow, President and CEO of San Antonio Zoo. “She represents our continued commitment to conservation while offering a special opportunity for the community to get closer to one of the most iconic species on Earth. We can’t wait for guests to come out and welcome her into her new home.”Footage shared by the zoo shows Waffles stepping into her new home.Guests were invited to come visit Waffles at the zoo’s Naylor Savanna giraffe barn’s yard, starting on December 2. Credit: San Antonio Zoo via Storyful
Evening Standard
Horrifying moment deer is chased and killed by out-of-control dog in Richmond Park
Police warn owners to ensure pets are under close control at all times
CNN
Bear attacks worker, ransacks meat section in Japan supermarket rampage
A bear that ran amok in a supermarket in northern Japan has been caught two days after it attacked a worker, the latest in a surge of encounters between bears and people in the country.
Reuters
Wolves to lose 'strictly protected' status in Europe
Wolves in Europe will be less protected from hunting from 2025, after a majority of European countries on Tuesday accepted a proposal to downgrade their status due to their growing number and their impact on agriculture and farming livestock. Wolves' status will be lowered as of March 7 to "protected" from "strictly protected" under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, in a move condemned by animal welfare groups.
Daily Echo
Town council marks National Tree Week with tree planting
New Milton Town Council marked National Tree Week by planting trees across the town.
The Guardian
‘The smell hurts’: why has the supreme court washed its hands of Argentina’s ‘rotten river’?
Campaigners fear ruling on the toxic Matanza-Riachuelo basin will worsen the region’s many health crises and sends a message ‘environmental damage is not a priority’
Oxford Mail
Asda shop hit with inadequate food hygiene rating following inspection
An Asda shop in Faringdon, Oxfordshire has been slammed over its poor food hygiene.
The Independent
Nearly all Arctic sea ice could melt by the summer of 2027, scientists warn
For the first time, a group of international scientists used climate models to predict when the Arctic might see its first ‘ice-free’ day
The Guardian
Pro-brumby activists racially vilified head of Indigenous group, Victorian tribunal finds
Exclusive: Yorta Yorta woman targeted in campaign by Barmah Brumby Preservation Group that included posters with racist slogans, Vcat finds
The Telegraph
Worms could be the answer to plastic waste crisis
Worms could be the answer to the plastic waste crisis after scientists found they can munch through a face mask in about four months with no apparent ill effects.

NRW public meetings

Latest stories