UPDATE

An ecologist (employed by the developers) was due to visit the site on the 8th May to observe the Kite's nest, had he done so, he would have witnessed the female sitting on eggs and work would not have started until end of August. Unfortunately he came a day later and conveniently, overnight, the Kite's nest had "collapsed". He has since returned but states the Kites have not attempted to rebuild the nest so has given the developers the go ahead to commence work, all conveniently just in time for them to start before government funding runs out. 

In order to get the mast up and running before the end of June (when government funding runs out), they are erecting a temporary mast, on weighted legs and powered by a generator. This work has started today. Last week they completed the access road, this road has not had planning consent, the council have been informed and this isn't the first time an access road has been constructed on the "landowners" land without planning consent.

Please keep sharing the petition, we haven't given up the fight yet.

On the 12/04/2023, an application for a Prior Telecommunications Notice was submitted to Ceredigion County Council Planning Department. The Proposal was for a 17.5m lattice telecommunications mast, with equipment cabinets, situated on a piece of land in the middle of the village of Ysbysty Ystwyth, named as “Land South East Of Llethr Villa Ystrad Meurig, Pontrhydfendigaid, SY25 6DE”.

The residents of the village were only made aware of the application once this had been formally submitted by Dianne Perry of Clarke Telecom, on behalf of Cornerstone. Previous to this application being submitted, on the 09/02/2023, Clarke Telecom sent a pre-application letter to Ysbysty Ystwyth Community Council. In this letter, they give the community council the opportunity to allow “stake holders or groups” 14 days, from the date of the letter, to make comments before an application is submitted to the local planning office. Had the community council acted on this and allowed residents the opportunity to voice their concerns during this time, the application may not have been submitted. Unfortunately, as a community, we were let down and the application was submitted without prior consultation with residents. Some residents have raised concerns that the reason residents were not consulted, was because the land is owned by a member of the community council who, is felt to have a monetary gain. The conflict of interest was never publicly expressed until this was bought up in a community meeting which was held after the planning decision had been made.

The proposed site is situated in extreme close proximity to people’s homes as well as being in a prominent location in some of Ceredigion’s most unspoilt countryside. The trees that are mentioned in the planning application, to be utilized as screening, are also home to a pair of well-established nesting Red Kites, who are nesting with young at present. The area is also home to bats and newts as well as various species of birds and other wildlife. There is real concern that this development will not only put a blot on such a beautiful landscape but will drive away the wildlife we are so lucky to have surrounding us.

Further to this, there have been real concerns voiced by residents over the loss of enjoyment of their own gardens, noise disturbance as well as the visual impact this proposal has. Health concerns have also been raised by various residents and, although these concerns are not able to be considered during the planning decision process, they are real genuine concerns to residents none the less and should not be dismissed. Mental health is becoming more widely spoken about and the impact this has already had and will continue to have should not be negated. Another huge concern (particularly for residents with mortgages), is the decrease in value of their homes that this proposal will cause and who will be responsible for compensating these residents. The ability to sell a property can be negatively impacted due to the visual impact, noise disturbance and any perceived health concerns that arise from such a proposal. All of these concerns were raised, with over 21 objections being made to Ceredigion County Council Planning department. Despite these concerns, no satisfactory site visit was made by the named planning officer, nor was there any evidence of an Ecological Survey being carried out and the decision was made that Prior Approval was not required. 
There has been a huge amount of miss information given to residents regarding the ownership of the land and rumors of compulsory purchase orders in place. None of which have been proven to be true, with the developers stating that they do not own the land and only have a rental agreement with the landowner.

We are appealing to Cornerstone and Clarke Telecom to reconsider the proposed site before any further work is carried out. We understand the need for connectivity and do not oppose this, but we do oppose having our homes and gardens being so negatively impacted, our ability to sit peacefully in our gardens and our children/grandchildren to enjoy their surroundings, without the fear of health issues or the loss of wildlife.  We are also appealing to the “Landowner(s)” to refuse further work to be carried out, in order to respect the concerns of their community, a community they are meant to support and work in favour of. 

At present, the work at the site has been placed on hold in order to protect the Red Kites and their young. We are asking for as much support as possible with this petition in order to have the mast sited in more suitable location, that will benefit the wider community but not at the detriment of the affected residents. Any support would be greatfully received.