Auction delay call over site's toxic waste fear
RESIDENTS planning to buy council land to prevent travellers settling there are calling for the auction to be delayed over "toxic waste" fears.
The group from Porth Dafen near Llanelli said they were keen to purchase the 12-acre plot when it goes up for auction on Friday at 3pm at the Ivy Bush Hotel in Carmarthen.
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Nia Griffith MP at the entrance to the plot of land at Porth Dafen which is due to be auctioned
The guide price has been set at between £5,000 and £10,000.
But leader of the action group, David Hunter, said they want Carmarthenshire Council, which is selling the land, to postpone the auction for further examination into fears it could be contaminated.
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Mr Hunter, who has lived in the area for nearly 20 years, said residents wanted to buy the land to keep "as it is".
"Our concern is that some of the travelling community buy it," he said.
"We've got to ensure that the travellers don't get it.
"For the amount of money they (the council) are going to get for it we think it should really be offered to the community. There are a number of people here prepared to buy it. We just want to keep it as it is.
"Most of us have been here for 20 years or longer.
"People go riding across it. The kids go on their quads.
"But we can't buy it with the possibility of potential toxic waste and mine shafts.
"The council keep saying refer to the buyers' pack, but there's nothing there to say they've carried out full investigation surveys and have checked for toxic waste."
Mr Hunter said the residents wanted the authority to defer the auction for three months.
"The council are adamant it's going to go to auction on the day. They don't seem to care," he said.
Llanelli MP Nia Griffith also urged the council to put the auction on hold.
She said: "I have contacted council officers requesting an urgent meeting, so they can hear the concerns of residents and I very much hope that the council will be willing to postpone the sale of the land to allow the residents time to explore the options. "
A county council spokeswoman said all potential buyers could carry out their own investigations into the land before bidding.
She said: "Our legal department has provided an environmental search and coal mining search in the legal pack.
"The environmental search states that 'there may be a potential source of contamination arising from the potentially contaminative past land use which may have significant implications. It would appear from this preliminary appraisal that there may be a potential pollutant linkage'.
"The report also comments that in their opinion the 'property may also constitute "contaminated land"' for the purposes of the Environmental Protection Act 1990."
She said the pack was available to view from selling agents John Francis.
"In addition, a potential buyer can also carry out their own site survey , on appointment, prior to bidding on the land," she added.
Comments
by newsaffair
Thursday, September 27 2012, 7:30PM
“re"Gwyddno",
I have to bow to your correction,when posting comments. Lets give it a try,-
"Her priority should be to persuade people from engaging in activities that damage the envoiroment"!
On the issue of there being no mention of a politician before i posted that comment,may i point you to the fact that by willingly backing those protesters,and taking the issue to council, and to the papers,she should have been fully aware of the reasons which the protesters were opposing the sale,in effect maintaining their Shang-ri-La.
Finally,if these protesters were to win their dispute,there are no strict conditions attached,forcing them to remain the status quo,as the saying goes, "They are not making land anymore"”
by Gwyddno
Thursday, September 27 2012, 6:31PM
“newsaffair: 'Her priority should be to dissuade people from pursuing activities that don`t harm the countryside'?
The opposite of that would be to persuade people to take part in activities that do harm the countryside.
'It`s no wonder there are comments on here about politicians!'
Are there any comments about politicians prior to your post of 2:41pm?”
by swazzy1234
Thursday, September 27 2012, 6:19PM
“well i will put a bid on the land and yes i am a traveller and yes i wouldnt have known if it wasnt for the consideration of residents advertising in the local newspaper. To be honest this would solve the councils problem of having to find another site due to the bynea site being full, the council will get more than the land is worth and it will save them from having to give us another piece of land. We have five families interested so i hope the local residents are prepared to change their extremly ignorant views.”
by Neathboy234
Thursday, September 27 2012, 5:35PM
“newsaffair I have no doubt that Nia Griffith is an environmental activist. Is this a brown field site, or green. If it is possible wouldn't it be great if a pond could be built on the and. We're still going to have to find a place for the gypsies to live, but it doesn't have to be here. But it will have to be somewhere!”
by Neathboy234
Thursday, September 27 2012, 2:48PM
“If there is toxic waste, then it should be cleaned up first before the gypsies move on to the site.”
by newsaffair
Thursday, September 27 2012, 2:41PM
“re-"Neathboy",
On readng Nia Griffith`s web page,she states that she is an envoiromental activist. Her priority should be to dissuade people from pursuing activities that don`t harm the countryside,not least property that doesn`t belong to them! It`s no wonder there are comments on here about politicians!”
by newsaffair
Thursday, September 27 2012, 2:24PM
“re- " Hadoken",
Judging by their own admission of their use of other people`s property,some would say that the travellers can`t be worse than these trespassers.
As for there being any rumours that travellers are interested,i couldn`t agree more with you. Free advertisent as this,are bound to set the sharks swimming near their prey!”
by Neathboy234
Thursday, September 27 2012, 1:56PM
“Hadoken4543 you would seem to be making some wild accusations, it''s people like u who give this country a bad name. If u have got any evidence go along to the police, it's a case of put up or shut up.”
by Hadoken4543
Thursday, September 27 2012, 1:53PM
“Wow, so what do they do, get a local paper to advertise the plot, tell everyone of its bargain price and put the idea into the head of other travellers.
I feel their pain though, the council are tring to land another gypsy site in llansamlet, we already have two sites with 2 minutes drive from the proposed one and there are several other tempoary ones that crop up bi monthly around the enterprize zone, there is currently one down by the rolands music, just before Wyvale.
pretty soon decent people in this country are going to start rioting, it seems it no longer pays to be a functional memebr of society, the scum are allowed to settle in ways which drag the majority down.
Gypsies will steal from you, intimidate you, they will destroy your kids education as they are always thick or cause problems in the school, and if there is never a problem, you can bet big man paddy is going to start beating people up for it.
For me, gypsies are nothing more than human vermin.”
by Neathboy234
Thursday, September 27 2012, 10:43AM
“I think these local residents will find the average traveler is a lot richer then them. Anyone who can find 100k for a wedding will snap this land up thats for sure”