COMMUNITY HUB
In my earlier post, Hippies and associated problems, I dealt at some length with the drop-out, cash-in white settlers of Lammas in Pembrokeshire. More information has come to light that I feel merits this little update.
To begin with, I wasn’t aware that the project had received, in 2009, a kick-start of £350,000 from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (superseded in July 2016 by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy).
As you’ll have read in the article I’ve linked to the money was given specifically for the Community Hub. But the article tells us that the first house on the site cost just £4,000, and seeing as the community hub would also have been built by volunteers, I really can’t believe that it would have cost £350,000. (I hope the UK government asked for receipts.)
Come to that, why was the UK Government funding a project like this in Wales?
So what is the Community Hub used for?
The Hub’s own Facebook page tells us it’s an “Educational research centre in Glandwr (sic), Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom”. And on the ‘About’ page we are told, “The Hub is a unique Off-Grid resource for the wider local community, it supports land based livelihoods at Tir-y-Gafel and promotes low impact living.”
The ‘local community’, eh, but how true is that?
To judge by the photographs, reviews and comments on that Facebook page there are no visitors from the local community and few from Wales other than those who share the lifestyle of the Lammas residents. Which means that with no ‘outsiders’ visiting the £350,000 Community Hub is nothing more than a very expensive meeting place for hippies.
I was alerted to this funding by A.E. with this report from the Off-grid site. Read it carefully, there are some chilling passages in there, none more so than a remark attributed to Paul Wimbush, who seems to be the local chief or shaman – “We have an unprecedented opportunity here to transform rural Wales”, he said.
I was also struck by the bit that reads, “The nine families (at Lammas) come from all walks, of life – we have a teacher, a nurse and they have come from a semi-detached house in Liverpool and a top-floor flat in Bath, for example.” Yes, but none of them come from Wales.
Which means that we have the English government, with ‘Welsh’ Labour and Plaid Cymru support, funding English hippies to settle in Wales; with the English Planning Inspectorate overruling any attempt by local planning authorities to enforce regulations.
Lammas, Red Pig Farm and all the other settlements springing up faster than the mushrooms they grow expose Plaid Cymru for what it has become. For given the choice between an eco-village of English hippies and a Welsh village modern Plaid Cymru will choose the hippies every time.
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EARTH CENTRE, TEMPLE, OR DWELLINGHOUSE?
There is currently a major building being erected on the Lammas site, though what it is is open to speculation. This video from Hoppi Wimbush’ Facebook page shows the erection of a building some 6 metres or 20 feet high to the eaves. (Click on ‘expand’ box in bottom right corner to view it in full screen.)
In this post from her Facebook page (below) she refers to the construction as the ‘Earth Centre’. In the video she calls it a ‘temple’. Suggesting that it is a religious or spiritual building of some kind, and yet . . .
The planning permission granted for that building describes it as a ‘dwellinghouse’. The front elevation below shows the full extent of this ‘dwellinghouse’, with the section shown in the video and the Facebook picture shaded in yellow.
By any criterion, and no matter what it is, this is a bloody big building. You or I would never be allowed such a substantial structure in open country . . . in our own country. But then, we aren’t middle-class English hippies.
Given that there is every likelihood this building, when completed, will be far more than a ‘dwellinghouse’, I suggest that Pembrokeshire County Council planners hot-foot it over to Lammas pronto and find out what the hell is going on.
UPDATE 19.01.2018: I think this information confirms that what’s being erected now, the central part of ‘Maes Melangell’, is definitely a temple. This must surely contravene and invalidate the planning permission granted for a dwellinghouse.
I think somebody’s taking the piss, like they have been since they first invited themselves into our country.
But let me conclude with this warning to planning officials – or anyone mad enough to visit Lammas without good reason – take your own food and drink! And try not to touch anything unless wearing surgical gloves.
♦ end ♦
Amen!
She has now I believe deleted it form facebook and twitter . She was all over the shop. And this person was once an elected representative in our National Assembly? Embarrassing. God help us.
The link still works.
No that’s not accurate I’m afraid. It’s still up, with loads of comments from the usual suspects who send ‘love, hugs & kisses’ etc. People I guess who have probably never met her, and know next to nothing about her or her past track record.
Not really worth a second glance for those who live in the real world. A huge opportunity to have a go at those “nasty cyber bullies” who are making innocent little Mary cry.
Pretty depressing and pathetic in my opinion. My God the standard is low.
The “good” bi-product from all this is how it shows them up for the shallow bunch they are. There has been a swathe of anger across all sorts of media about the treatment dished out to Neil McEvoy, while the party line has been defended by an assortment of absolute wets and daydreamers, whose only “talent” is scheming..
Well, it still doesn’t work for me. She must have ‘blocked’ me or something. I did confront her last night.
Now that was a risky business. She could have been in at Tight Head if sh’e focussed on her skills training !!!!
Who’s been nasty to HMJ?
https://www.facebook.com/helenmary.jones.9/posts/1433347080124113
Yes, the word is going round that she started that petition. That’s no secret.
But what I find more interesting – and revealing – is the number of times she tries to turn it into a men v women issue.
I actually think it’s insulting that she cannot spell Neil McEvoy’s name correctly. Maybe there’s a McAvoy in Plaid who’s a right bullying bastard and the other one has been getting all the blame for his supposed misdeeds.
I hadn’t noticed that. Revealing.
“Methinks the lady protesteth too much”
Not surprised at the misspelling – I’ve had first hand experience of sharing a committee room with her on many occasions in the past, from my days at Plaid’s National Executive meetings. With the exception of one other female AM from my neck of the woods – who is probably dimmer – I would say she is not the brightest light bulb in the room. She has got a very impressive gob though – however it’s all noise and show, but no substance. She’s clumsily fallen into this kind of hole in the past. Remember the curry dinner she hosted to try and start a coup against the then leader of Plaid? She has form for jumping on band wagons. She craves attention unfortunately.
I remember well when senior members (over a drink in a pub) also plotted the night before to remove her from the chair of the NEC the following day, because she got on everyone’s tits with her incessant verbal diarrhoea. Another member was nominated after she declared she wanted to continue – she left quietly.
My assessment? I believe she has deep rooted ‘ishoos’. That lack of confidence is often cloaked by bluster and gob. Deep down she is insecure. Like many comedians who are excessively shy, they overcome it by playing out an absolutely different role on the stage.
Pity, there’s obviously something lurking deep down in the inner workings of her head that causes her to blame and hate all men. That’s sad, and I feel sorry for her on that account.
Big Gee, I spent many years trying to do a bit of pop psychology on the Helen Mary’s of the world – as a young feminist in the 80s I met an awful lot of them. I spent hours pondering and I came to some of the same conclusions as you – a lot of them did have ishoos and it was certainly true that a lot of them lacked confidence.
But you know the real key to it all? It Isn’t rocket science – they are dim, they are unscrupulous and they will use ANY method that they can to advance themselves – for some it would be shagging those in possession of testicles whom they professed to be the root of the problem, but for many it was simply to play any card they could, including the I’m female card. Similar processes have been used to advance unscrupulous people from ethnic minorities, with disabilities or who are LGBT. In a previous era they would have joined the Freemasons.
The introduction of women only shortlists in the Labour Party served to advance the careers of middle class privileged wimmin like Harriet Harman – who introduced the wimmin only shortlists for that very purpose. They have done nothing at all to help disadvantaged people and the plight of disadvantaged women now is worse than it was 30 yrs ago – social mobility has stopped despite all the hot air about promoting diversity.
Sadly Sian Gwenllian has fallen into the trap and is mouthing off in the Daily Post online today about the need to legislate for a 50-50 gender balance in the Assembly. So then we can have even more daft ex social workers who are married to or friends with the First Minister in there, who will do sod all for any other women or indeed men.
If these fatheaded vacuous idiots understood any of the sociology that they believe that they are interested in, they would have read Pierre Bourdieu and would understand that a dominant group will always use the available structures and systems to remain the dominant group no matter what those systems are.
That is why Harriet Harman the daughter of a Harley Street doctor – one who lied in his capacity as an expert witness as well – and a barrister used her status as a disadvantaged woman to bag a job that she couldn’t do as a Cabinet minister. It is why the ‘mental health campaigner’ who has gained much coverage on Radio 4s All In The Mind programme is Marion Janner the daughter of Lord Greville Janner, who used his political friends to prevent him from being prosecuted for child abuse. It is why Tulip Siddiqui MP for Hampstead boasts about being an ethnic.minority – she is a member of Bangladesh’s ruling political family, I think it is her aunt who is the PM. I could go on, but I’m sure that you get my point.
The result? Someone like Neil McEvoy, a working class man from an ethnic minority, being accused of ‘bullying’ when he was trying to help a poor white woman from being evicted. It is why I and so many others stopped campaigning for the Labour Party, stopped our involvement in political action, told the lot of them to fuck off and walked away. Other people started voting UKIP.
Helen Mary et al – like you I am a woman. It is not a skill that I have honed or a qualification that I have gained, it was a characteristic that I was born with and I had no influence over it. For me to claim superiority over another person on that basis is as daft as someone claiming that David Cameron should be positively discriminated for in politics because he was born a white upper class man. Your naive interpretations of gender matters have done massive damage and have helped no-one. Go away and read some real social theory as opposed to shite in a woman’s magazine or the Guardian that thinks it’s feminist. More importantly Helen Mary/Jane Hurt/Julie Morgan/Lesley Griffiths, please explain why you remained silent about the paedophile ring operating in Wales which you all knew about years ago. The paedophile ring which murdered some of the witnesses and repeatedly framed me and other people for offences which we had not committed.
Trouble is Big Gee, I’m not the right sort of woman, so I don’t count. It’s why I’m not the fucking Baroness of Ely.
Always a pleasure to read your comments Dr Sally. Your profile analysis of these people certainly fits the bill.
It is the result of long and bitter experience Big Gee – when I was young I took them at face value, then I gave them the benefit of the doubt by making allowances for their inadequacies and trying to explain those inadequacies, then I realised that they were a bunch of complete shits with no principles at all. Now I’m exposing them all on my blog after putting up with an awful lot for many years…
Yes Stan, You are right, Pembrokeshire Council kept refusing the application from Lammas and as Lammas describe here, http://lammas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/The-Process.pdf it was the Welsh Assembly that granted full planning. The people from Lammas involved, had a lot of time on their hands, so it would seem, to organise 10,000 pages for application, to constantly lobby and badger Pembrokeshire Council and The Welsh Assembly, while every one else in Wales was probably busy with their lives and oblivious to the extent of what was actually going on.
As you say, John Davies, the leader of Pembrokeshire Council, reacting to the Welsh Assembly decision, tried to warn us, by issuing the press release.
“He said concern was also being expressed locally towards setting what he called “a dangerous precedent.”
There are strict planning rules governing developments in open countryside.
“Giving the green light to this application will encourage a proliferation of similar applications across Pembrokeshire,” added Mr Davies. “
You’ve certainly identified a few scams here Myfanwy, an interesting read.
You mention WOOFERS – WWOOF (working weekends on organic farms) was originally a hippy organisation back in the late 1970s where alternative people interested in self sufficiency could go to stay on a small holding for the weekend and help out in return for board and lodging. When I was busy being an alternative teenager in Somerset in about 1979 I received their literature only to have my father pointing out that if I wanted to work for no pay any farmer in Somerset would give me a job. I guess at the time WWOOFERS would have been townies for whom farm labouring was a novelty.
Something very sinister has now happened re WWOOFING – they now call themselves ‘worldwide opportunities on organic farms’ and back last year I went on their website. It was terrifying – there were scores of adverts demanding fit young people with experience of farm work to do the most shite labour intensive jobs e.g.. digging ditches, digging the pond, etc for no money in return for ‘accommodation’ which was usually a shared caravan and VERY basic food. The adverts were dressed up with references to dogs and ducks and goats – but the WOOFERS weren’t going to get to go near those, they were slaves. I was told by someone else that much of WOOFING in now indeed a front for modern slavery – it is international and there is a stream of desperate young people travelling around working for nothing. This is no longer a hippies dream, this is really worrying.
If you want to look after farms with animals and live in decent accommodation, you can do what friends of mine do and house sit for farmers/folk with animals when they are on holiday – but obviously you need to supply references. I suspect the sort of people now exploited under the umbrella of WOOFING can’t do that, they’ll be pretty destitute.
Regarding how middle class people like Jane Davidson and Jane Hutt get into positions of power in Wales – well the harsh reality is those who are teachers or social workers have done it by helping all those who were involved in the paedophile rings that operated in Wales in the 70s, 80s and 90s to keep out of trouble. I can understand that you might find that difficult to believe but I’ve researched their backgrounds and believe me it is true. The organised abuse of children in care was – and still is – a huge problem across the UK and everyone working in the sector concealed it. Politicians were desperate to have these people on board because there were a number of politicians and civil servants who were actually abusing youngsters themselves and of course political scandal had to be avoided. People from the English middle classes were most valuable in Wales – they had connections to the real holders of power in Westminster and the English professional classes such as law and medicine.
I imagine that being of that generation and middle class and a bit alternative, they’ll have been drawn to causes like environmentalism – Rhodri and co all knew about the abuse of kids in care and were sitting on the whole dung heap. All you had to do if you were a fluffy teacher or social worker into green causes was to sit back and silently blackmail old Rhodri et al into giving you your green grant – because you knew what had happened to those kids…
I’ve just blogged on my own site re my memories of some folk singers who used to play in the Kings Arms in Bangor in the 1980s. They were teachers and social workers and every one of them knew about the abuse of children in North Wales – and one of them was an environmental sciences teacher/part time lecturer at the Normal College in Bangor. It’s a stereotype but those were the causes that they were attracted to.
By the way I also knew two Wimmin Morris Dancers who knew about the North Wales Paedophile Ring! But everyone who worked in the caring professions did..
It is interesting that you mention Rhodri Morgan, Sally, as Jane Davidson entered politics as his researcher in 1994, after leaving teaching. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/in-the-news-jane-davidson/167204.article If it is true that she could have furthered her career in the same way as others you have mentioned, it would be truly shocking, as not only was she a teacher with her own children, her husband is a Child Lecturer. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/minister-leave-cardiff-bay-good-1906059 Will you be giving evidence to the Child abuse inquiry, is it true that they will start examining the Westminster allegations soon?
The other reasons that I find so hypocritical about the people who enter politics like Jane Davidson, is they talk rightly so, about how awful Thatcher was, but when they are actually in power and are able to make a difference to alleviate the poverty and decline of Wales, they end up feathering their own nests and that of others they know. If she was able to drive through this TAN6 policy, which benefits mainly middle class people from England, why couldn’t she as “Minister for environment, sustainability and housing” have done something about the cost of housing in rural Wales? A cap on second home owners should have been introduced years ago, as they have eventually done in Kernow. http://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/ives-second-homes-high-court-771632
If politicians like Mary Helen Jones have multiple properties, it demonstrates how out of touch and self serving they are. They have effectively contributed to the ramping up of house prices, instead of thinking of ways to make homes more affordable for their constituents.
I find Jane Davidson a hypocrite on other levels though, she introduced the TAN6 policy and advocates a sustainable lifestyle for everyone, but drives a car 30 miles to her lecturing job and takes flights to America etc to pontificate on environmental issues, complete double standards. There is increasing homelessness in towns and cities like Cardiff, but Jane does her good life chat with her “One Planet” friends about her dream of making her own “Mozarella” at her Pembrokeshire smallholding, which is not off grid, where she cuts down trees, like all the others who have moved to Wales and who are completely out of touch, with anyone who doesn’t, or can not afford, to share the same values!
It was strange, because when I recently started doing some research on Jane Davidson and the TAN6 policy, I noticed that her Wikipedia page kept changing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Davidson it is interesting to note that it mentions on the page that she had been editing her wiki entry in 2013, a case of wanting to project a certain public image as “the third most influential environmentalist in the UK for the Independent on Sunday in 2009” ( Rhodri Morgan’s page was also changed by the Welsh Government). This demonstrates a certain out of touch narcissism, if you read Jane Davidson’s introduction in this “One Planet” book, this comes across in her own self satisfaction for being responsible for the TAN6 policy, but in fact reveals her complete disregard, of what the repercussions of this policy for middle class people, will have on Welsh communities in rural Wales.
https://books.google.dk/books?id=WkZWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=jane+davidson+TAN6&source=bl&ots=Jr0cVGSU5X&sig=ck0CjIAPNtP0hpR3bf06IzgvtBw&hl=da&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjthdO2yOvYAhV0gaYKHZgDAO0Q6AEIRDAD#v=onepage&q=jane%20davidson%20TAN6&f=false
In 2016 the Assembly ran a consultation into the Future of Agricultural and Rural Development Policies in Wales. One of the many submissions was from a body called the One Planet Council, which essentially seems to be a group of interested individuals like Tao Wimbush and his Merry Men and Wimmin. Don’t read it all unless you are a masochist but turn to section 14 that deals with Lammas itself. Some interesting stuff there. According to figures for 2015 the total income for the nine Lammas smallholdings from what they produced on the holdings, plus their educational courses, was £48K or thereabouts. That’s about £5.3K a holding by my figures. It also says there are presently 22 OPDs in Wales, but “many more are in the pipeline”. If these figures are real, can someone explain to me how you can raise a family on just over £100 a week, even allowing for growing some of your own food and living in a hovel? Some of them run cars, surely? It just doesn’t seem to stack up to me. On £100 a week how do you pay back what the plot has cost you plus building costs? No wonder they didn’t take out home insurance.
http://www.senedd.assembly.wales/documents/s56408/AAB%2007%20One%20Planet%20Council.pdf
One thing’s for sure – they won’t be paying income tax.
Stan – I understand that One Planet developments have to provide annual reports to the local planning authority, for the first five years, to prove the sustainability criteria is being met. I have requested a copy of these reports for Lammas from Pembrokeshire County Council and will inform Jac’s blog if and when received.
I look forward to that, Andy.
You might also be interested to know Jac, that Lammas have been buying up farmland next door to them, then parcelling it up and selling it on in blocks, for yet more smallholdings. These parcels of land were obviously not intended for locals, because they were advertised on the WWOOF UK website in 2015. https://www.wwoof.org.uk/latest-news/new-ecovillage-project-opportunity-west-wales
From your link Myfanwy cost of plots would appear to be between £24,000 [3 acres] to £80,000 [10 acres]. Anyone purchasing plot would be required to submit separate planning application for residential dwelling. I would have thought that could result in a few issues, as presumably they would need access to communal facilities [private spring water that may not be available on each plot, communal woodland etc.]
Jac Your rogues gallery at Deryn hails Huw Roberts as “token man”. Be assured he is a lot more than that with a history of being deeply embedded within UK and Welsh Labour since pre 1997. On very close personal terms with the late Rhodri Morgan, Kim Howells, and many others like Badger Ron and Alun Michael who all hovered around the initial Devo deal despite being agnostic or openly hostile about it all. A noted networker, he is a man not to be disregarded lightly, and probably very much at home with this crew of schemers.
You’re right about his background, but in the context of Deryn, without him it’s an all-wimmin organisation, so to that extent he is the token man.
and how many tokens do you think Nerys and the other ladies have accumulated thus far ? More to the point, how are the tokens redeemed ?
just noticed one of Deryn’s collaborators on that petition was piping up on Golwg in response to Heledd’s criticism of LW. Trying to drive a wedge between Heledd and other Cymdeithas officers who for some weird reason had distanced themselves fron the critical comment. Obvious campaign of media management going on but it’s quite shallow, lacks subtlety and just digs a bigger hole for them.
Core valid argument spoilt by conspiracy theories and odd misogynistic attacks. Core argument should be IMO:
1. Some of these communities now occupy prime agricultural land which has been lost. (though somebody has originally sold that land/farm)
2. The influx of new residents most of whom are not sympathetic to the local culture is permanently changing that culture.
3. Why has WAG facilitated these applications through TAN 6? I think some conspiracy to import new agers to Wales is far from the mark, it seems more likely that it was an attempt to resolve the problem of repeated planning enquiries and probably resulted from a recommendation from a planning enquiry (a guess). My criticism of WAG would be for a lack of overall strategic understanding and of AMs with an intimate knowledge of the issues in their areas from taking up the issue. ie the cock up rather than conspiracy theory.
4. Though these communities are very irritating, they are a distraction from the core issue of decent jobs for people in rural Wales that nobody seems willing/able to address systematically. It is the people leaving rather than the people coming that is making us so weak and the cuts in direct council employment are making the situation worse.
5. I cannot get my head round why WAG is funding buildings on these sites unless there is a tourism argument. Again I suspect cock up rather than conspiracy.
You are too quick to attribute everything to “cock-ups”. I don’t buy the conspiracy argument in every case, either, but there is scope for identifying numerous root causes of these outcomes as being in the realm of laziness, a lax attitude to managing detail, and an all round absence of intellectual rigour in designing regulations and their subsequent application/enforcement. Which indicates that large tracts of our governance, in the Bay and at local authority level, is not fit for purpose.
Well said Dafis. I normally find that the devil is in the detail. Officials are good at producing voluminous strategy documents without considering the detail. Installation of “sprinklers” in dwellings not served by mains water supply is a case in point. Back to the drawing board !!
A private water supply could feed the sprinkler system as long as there was a backup power source driving a pump to maintain pressure. However a serious fire might incinerate the power supply or the pump in which case …back to the drawing board ! or better still back to other side of Clawdd Offa !
However, given recent events, a native wishing to design and build one of these quaint abodes would probably get subjected to a far more rigorous examination of any proposal by the local planning officers and most likely be served several directives on modifications/improvements before having any chance of approval.
adarynefoedd, Your third question, 3.” Why has WAG facilitated these applications through TAN 6?” and your assumption, ” it seems more likely that it was an attempt to resolve the problem of repeated planning enquiries and probably resulted from a recommendation from a planning enquiry (a guess).” well if you did some research, it would become very clear to you, that it was the Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales at the time (2007-2011) Jane Davidson, who was responsible for TAN6.
Don’t take it from me though, here is her colleague at “One Planet” David Thorpe, explaining in his book “The ‘One Planet’ Life: A Blueprint for Low Impact Development “, how Jane Davidson played the crucial role in bringing TAN6 about.
“He was referring to Jane Davidson, because it “would not not have happened without her” Her conviction as Environment Minister that it was the right thing to do “lay behind the revision of Technical Advice Note 6 (PPW). ” (TAN6)
https://books.google.dk/books?id=WkZWBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=jane+davidson+TAN6&source=bl&ots=Jr0cVGSU5X&sig=ck0CjIAPNtP0hpR3bf06IzgvtBw&hl=da&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjthdO2yOvYAhV0gaYKHZgDAO0Q6AEIRDAD#v=onepage&q=jane%20davidson%20TAN6&f=false
That was pretty clear, no conspiracy, it was Jane Davidson in her role as Environment Minister, who allowed the passing of TAN6, which is great for middle class English people, like herself and David Thorpe, but rubbish for young Welsh people in those rural areas that need work and affordable housing, but do not have disposable cash or “the good life” fantasies of those from the monied middle classes, very simple really!
Some of the questions you should have included in your list is, how do English, middle class people like Jane Davidson, get in to positions of power in Wales, where they are not suited, ie AM for Pontypridd? How do they then get into other positions of power, while Welsh talent is dismissed, making decisions such as (TAN6) and then not consider the obvious impact of these policies on Welsh communities. If you look at the people in positions of power in “One Planet” and “Calon Cymru” most are English middle class ex pats, is that also just a cock up?
http://www.caloncymru.org/who-we-are.html
Thanks for the clarification, I did not know how TAN6 evolved. I looked at the Calon Cymru site and it seemed worthwhile and a million miles from the hedonistic hippie settlements described in this blog. Sustainability and diversification of farming – what is not to like – I know several medium sized horticultural enterprises producing really good vegetables – is this not a good development?
Lammas is considered to be the “pioneer” eco village, which means that many more are planed for Wales by “One Planet” and “Calon Cymru”. Here is an example of how clueless and totally disinterested in Welsh Culture some of the people who have already moved and bought property to develop for low impact housing actually are. They “home School” and want to set up their own “eco village”, sounds like some of the frontier, pioneer, survivalists in America, as depicted in films like “The village”. https://permies.com/t/28703/starting-sustainable-living-centre-Wales
They had moved to “our 36 acre woodland near Llandovery in carmarthenshire.” Funny, that’s just where “Calon Cymru” are promoting their next “Eco Village” idea. If Calon Cymru are genuinely “revitalising” the area to help local Welsh communities with affordable housing and work, that’s great, but if they are trying to attract yet more English home schooling colonies to undermine Welsh speaking communities, then it is a disaster. The problem as mentioned before with those who have developed the “One Planet” and “Tan6” policy, is that there are very few Welsh people in positions of power in these organisations and they are making decisions that will have lasting repercussions over people in Welsh communities, again, why hasn’t Welsh talent been chosen, why are we not in charge of making our own decisions?
I can remember Nerys Evans of Deryn when an AM was very supportive of the Lammas project.
Mentioned in the comments on this blog post.
http://miserableoldfart.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/green-monster.html
Alun Ffred has gone on record that there was “no co-ordination” of the bogus complaints against Neil McEvoy.
I believe him.
After all, who could possibly believe that Ddy Parti Of Wêls is capable of co-ordinating anything? They couldn’t co-ordinate a fart after a beans-and-sprouts tea.
Unfortunately Plaid has become infested with Wimmin I used to have a lot of time for Leanne Wood, until her and Bethan Jenkins started running around creches in their dungarees…add in Jill Evans, Hairy Mellons, Nerys Evans etc …
Wales needs activists like Neil Mcevoy and Jonathan Davies…but they are now in the wrong party. If only there was another Welsh Party they could join…..
Ahem . . . . aren’t we forgetting something here Penddu . . . .
http://sccambria.com/NewParty/RegisterInterest/
Many of those who campaign for the change in the planning laws and “Sustainable” living, are those who see this as a social and political “revolution” regarding land ownership, a cause that has it’s origins in the English political movements of the “Levellers and Diggers” of the 17th Century, Civil War period. In this regard, with the majority of members of this movement, originally coming from English, middle class backgrounds, the campaign for change should have started in England first.
In this episode, http://livinginthefuture.org/episodes/1-introducing-lammas.php Paul Wimbush describes his political desire to change the planning laws and the issues of sustainability, as a “calling”. He argues that the reason for choosing Pembrokeshire was that there is “strong support” there for the changes in the planning laws. You don’t have to look very closely to realise that the people on the protest march have probably come from the many different Hippy communities up and down the UK and I even recognised a woman from a video, who comes from “The Tinkersbubble” community in the West Country. If you look at the list here, there are many Hippy communities in Wales, there are plenty more that are probably not listed. http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/communities/existing/wales. At the time of their application the Wimbushes were living on the Gower, why didn’t they try to gain planning there, did they know that they didn’t stand a chance there? It’s curious, because “Tao” had been building chalets on Gower with his other friends, was this movement connected to the Holtsfield chalet campaign? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKChkQMYg_0
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According to the video and in their plans (section 13) at Lammas, http://lammas.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/plot-6-plan.pdf Paul and Hoppi Wimbush were living in a house worth “£170,000 to £180,000…We have a £90,000 mortgage”, they were also being given £30,000 from their parents to fund the project. This sort of money would make it very difficult for many young Welsh people to borrow and do the same, but no problem for many wealthy, middle class English people, who according to many of those who visit Lammas that were interviewed, said they were inspired and would like to move to Wales to do the same. The other issue of course, is that many of the these middle class people will likely inherit money, so the issue of housing for poorer Welsh people is not being addressed by the Welsh Government.
When you start looking, there are also some very hypocritical choices that those at Lammas have made, which completely clashes with their doctrine of sustainability. The Community Hub which was funded by the Welsh Government at £350.000 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/8424189.stm) employed heavy commercial diggers, utilised lumber that was not sourced locally and used cement and manufactured breeze blocks! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6B0o1p8oHw
Communities like Lammas and some farms are also reliant on WHOOFERS or voluntary workers from around the world, who are generally like minded. http://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/communities/wwoof-hosts. Jasmine Dale mentioned that there were 400 people that helped in the construction of their house, many of these will have come from abroad, from as far away as Australia or South America, meaning their travel to Lammas will have created a large carbon footprint. As you can see in this WHOOFERS call for volunteers just in SW Wales, there are a huge number of people who have already moved to Wales under the radar and are looking for volunteers, it is an invasion that the Welsh Government must have known would happen! https://www.wwoof.org.uk/civicrm/profile?_qf_Search_display=true&qfKey=a30b55ece76ae74968c53f006e318f5a_6791
Interesting read, Myfanwy. You finish off with the comment about an invasion the Welsh Government must have known would happen. Yes, indeed. In fairness to Pembrokeshire Council it seems that they did what they could in refusing the application for Lammas. This report quotes the Council Leader expressing the kind of concerns we have been discussing on Jac’s blog. In the appeal being granted a precedent has been set that was a bad day for planning authorities and an even worse one for Wales.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8225619.stm
Copy below of my request for information sent to Council.
To: Pembrokeshire County Council – Enquiries
I refer to the Lammas Development Site at Glandwr Pembrokeshire and to the Private Water Supplies [Wales] Regulations 2010. A copy of the Regulations is attached. I would be pleased to receive the following information.
A copy of the site-specific risk assessment undertaken by your Authority under Section 6 [1] of the Regulations, and
Details of your monitoring arrangements under Regulation 9 [b] as set out in Schedule 2 with regard to the supply of private water to commercial or public premises on the site.
I look forward to receiving the information within the statutory timeframe set out in the Freedom of Information Act 2000 / Environmental Information Regulations 2004. If you require further clarification please do not hesitate to contact me. Your F O I team has been copied in so that my request for information may be recorded and processed. Thank you.
Regards
Wynne Jones
Good stuff. Why do I get the feeling you’ll have to chase them for the reply? Might be worth a follow-up asking if they billed them for the costs of the assessment as well, Wynne?
I always have to chase replies Stan. I try to quote the relevant statute to pin them in a corner !
“I wouldn’t expect to see any men there, Hairy Melon doesn’t like men. Unless of course they’re men who are thinking of becoming women.”
Who needs to go on expensive courses with Hoppi Wimbush to relieve your stress, and risk food poisoning or even worse, live cremation, when you can be treated to gems like this while sitting in your armchair at home. Brilliant, brilliant stuff! Far better than any New Age therapy.
And it’s free!
O/T
You said earlier Jac you had some inside info on the McEvoy/Deryn etc stuff. Ex Plaid AM Helen Mary Jones has waded in with signing the anti-McEvoy petition and been sharing it on twitter by all accounts. She is now CEO at the charity ‘Youth Cymru’. Here she is: http://youthcymru.org.uk/our-team/ . Doesn’t look like there’s much gender balance there but I digress. I wonder how she’s managed to get this position as these top charity jobs are usually filled with Labourites. Anyway, somebody left a comment in Welsh about her on golwg360.
“Ma judgement Helen Mary Jones yn useless ar bethe fel hyn! Oni bai am iddi hi orfodi Dr Sian Caiach allan o’r Blaid bydde Llanelli yn sedd gadarn PC . Smo mwyafrif Llafur erioed wedi bod yn fwy na phleidlais ma Sian yn cael fel independent. HMJ yw’r person ac ‘issues’ nid Neil ; a peidiwch dachre fi ar beth wnaeth hi i’r ardderchog Cyng Gwyn Hopkins un o wir hoelion wyth y Blaid !
Person divisive iawn yw Helen ! Gofynnwch i’w chwaer !”
She for me is the embodiment of what needs to be cleared from the Welsh national movement…..I can remember her insisting Plaid go into coalition with Labour in Cardiff when Labour were at their height of unpopularity in London due to Blair and the Iraq war. She argued that Welsh Labour were a different breed to London Labour. I’m curious as to what the issue was regarding Gwyn Hopkins? I know that there has been a public spat between her and her sister Myfanwy Alexander.
I wouldn’t expect to see any men there, Hairy Melon doesn’t like men. Unless of course they’re men who are thinking of becoming women.
Back in 2007 when Plaid had the chance to lead an anti-Labour coalition in the Assembly she was one of the loudest voices opposing the idea. To believe her, the Tories – the Fat Farmer, Alun Bach, Dai Melding et al – were the reincarnation of the Third Reich.
You want to know where Plaid Cymru lost its way – look no further than Hairy Melon Jones.
Helen Mary is a wolf in sheep’s clothing Jac. She is someone who pre-politics spent her career in social work and youth work. At the time that she was doing that, the whole sector was pervaded by child abuse.- and it still has not been cleaned up because the bozos on the ground who allowed it to happen like Helen Mary then went into politics or became leaders in the Third sector and concealed what had gone on. Someone ought to ask Helen Mary what she knows about the organised paedophile rings which operated in children’s homes in Wales in the 80s and 90s. She also worked for the EOC – that was packed with people who also concealed the abuse, many of whom then picked up peerages at the hands of Tony Blair.
I suspect that Helen Mary’s fondness for Welsh Labour was bugger all to do with ideology or a meeting of political minds but more to do with the fact that many in Welsh Labour were concealing the same dung hill – former social workers Drakeford, Hutt and Julie Morgan, former GP Brian Gibbons and former NHS Secretary and Wrexham Councillor Lesley Griffiths.
They were crapping themselves at the time of the criminal investigations into child abuse in north Wales and then again at the time of Waterhouse. The word was sent out to all of them by the corrupt Gwynedd lawyer Ron Evans ‘don’t say a word about any of it to anyone’ – a lot of people relied upon Ron to keep them out of prison, he told them that what had happened wad so bad and so indefensible that they must all stay silent for ever.
It is a testament to the Rhino hides of that bunch of shites that they did indeed stay silent, stick together like glue and remain in public life.
Witnesses were murdered, no wonder Helen Mary wanted a coalition.
“Gofynnwch i’w chwaer !” She’s here…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-14884362
I think the problem with Plaid Cymru is rather than understand the mindset in the south it openly embraced it… which was a bit silly because now you’ve got people who may identify as Welsh who are more than a little inclined towards a British way of thinking whether they know and understand that or not. Of course an easy comment to throw around: “You sound like a colonist!”. But Welsh nationalism exists within us all in differing degrees and so does that colonial mindset. I don’t think it can be cleared from Plaid… I think identifying with being Welsh needs to result in a natural polarisation with being British/English.
Plaid are however correct in need that south – we all know it. Thats why they picked Leanne. Again some one I’d consider more British than Welsh. Problem then surfaces that Welsh language growth is to slow (maybe intentionally slow) to build the nationalist movement around it alone. Building it around the economic situation that is slowly unfolding in the Valleys (especially with Brexit on the horizon) is easily remedied by the government (both Welsh and UK) flashing the cash and potentially buying off the dangers for a time. But that polarisation between Welsh and British has to come from somewhere – and I’ll vote history every time. Its not about Owain Glyndwr – anyone who knows anything knows the rising started before Anglo-Owain came along. Its about the way England and Westminster see us and have always seen us – if we see things from their perspective then we’re well and truly fucked.
HMJ may still have links with Youth Cymru, but she is currently Deputy Director of the Morgan Academy in Swansea, some kind of think tank.
When she initially lost her Llanelli seat by a handful of votes due to Sian Caiach being driven out of Plaid and standing as an independent (gaining 2000+ votes if I remember correctly), HMJ blamed a rise in the Labour vote for her loss, and said with her background she’d have no difficulty getting another job. The next time, she lost by a bigger margin.
Link to HMJ at Morgan Academy –
http://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/som/academic-staff/h.jones/
……which appears to be a spinout of Swansea Uni. Well connected down there, wasn’t Jac’s old buddy Andrew Davies granted some kind of Hon. Chair on account of his “efforts” to secure funding for the new campus or some other major spend ? HMJ would be happy in his company.
Eventually you will almost always fund the big pigs around big troughs – Dafis’ law of nature !
Furthermore Dafis, Andrew Davies was the bedfellow of dear old Meri Huws who has been the bedfellows of many others besides. It was widely believed that Davies was yet another bedfellow who landed Meri jobs that she couldn’t do and wasn’t qualified for. After disgracing herself at Bangor University in multiple ways, Meri landed a senior role at – Trinity St David’s, the home of Jane Davidson and the eco gang! Meri was then given the job of Language Commissioner, where she pissed everyone off and stuffed up, so it was business as usual.
Thanks for that happy hippy picture. Just Click to Enlarge and you get an right eyeful!
Good God, man! this is not a porn site!
Just for research purposes I assure you but which link was that?
You are going down in my estimation, young Stan.
This is what a fine lady looks like after spending a twelvemonth in the woods living off the land..
Gwenllian Ferch Gruffydd.
We need leaders such as this.
It’s strange you should mention Tippi Valley Myfanwy. I was talking to a lady last I met during work and she told me that here dad came from Cwm Du near Llandeilo. I think Tippi Valley’s in the same area. She said that it used to be 100% Welsh. She had cause to visit there recently and there didn’t seem to be any Welsh living there. She asked this English lady if there were any Welsh living there and the reply she got was “Welsh people!? Good god no”. As if it was such a daft question. I travel a lot around the west from say Aberaeron to Bryn Aman. I have cause to visit private homes and the inhabitants could equally as well be Welsh or whatever. In the rural areas such as Llangathen, Brongest, Cwm Cou, Maes y Meillion, Lanwennog, Pren-gwyn, Drefelin, Cwmhiraeth and places outside of the villages…..the Welsh are now a minority. No doubt about it. It’s sad. Even places like Bryn Aman which I would describe as being pretty unappealing are seeing an influx mostly I’m told to buy some land to keep ponies or attempt the recreate a ‘The Good Life’ type of existence. Is there ‘Y Fro Gymraeg’ still in existence? This has all happened in 25 years I would say. But hey…..we now elect Plaid at Council/Assembly and Westminster ( not to mention Police Commissioner and EU) levels so we’ll surely be fine.
Plaid Cymru has betrayed the very people it relied on for its support in (the former) Fro Gymraeg. With this electorate disappearing or wising up to Plaid’s betrayal, coupled with Plaid’s failure to replace Labour as the socialist party of the urban areas, Plaid is doomed.
Where I live in south Wales there are increasing numbers of English retirees (and others dumped here or lured by 3rd sector klondykers) moving in to take advantage of relatively cheap housing, free prescriptions etc. This is most notable in the local supermarkets. Some visits I now barely hear a Welsh accent (the “Lidl test” I call it). The incomers have an air of superiority and most refuse to integrate or even say hello (as still remains the way of the indigenous folk). All very sad really. My wife was stopped recently in the car park the local hospital by an East Anglian accented person asking for directions to reception followed up by an excited – “is it true you have free prescriptions? – we’ve just moved here”. When my Mrs replied in the affirmative he skipped his way to reception (not much wrong with him then). I don’t know why PC bothers fielding candidates round here any more. Waste of a deposit soon.
I think I need something to lower my blood pressure after reading your blogs but please keep up the good work.
I live in South Wales too and that’s a really accurate reflection of changes I’ve witnessed as well. The South Wales’ valleys were built on immigration but it was of a different kind. People came for work and to raise families and were part of society, not to build fucking yurts and flee civilisation, or to retire because the housing’s cheap and for benefits such as the free prescriptions.
This is very sad to hear i know this part of carmarthenshire quite well, a true heartland of Wales or used to be by the sounds of it. But whats happening here if what you say is true if we are leaving villages and areas because of a few eco warriors what hope is there for us and our culture?
I wonder… in regards to their hygiene rating what they put on the food they grow? I assume not pesticides and what not so they’re probably not upto regs there… then there’s whether their water is connected to the mains? Or do they collect it in some makeshift containers? How do they clean it? Do they have disinfectant to clean surfaces where food is prepared?
Maybe I’m ignorant of all these things none the less they sound like Cultists.
Note below should help to explain the statutory requirements with regard to private water supply.
Local Authorities
Statutory Duties
Section 77 of the Water Industry Act 1991 requires a local authority to keep itself informed about the wholesomeness and sufficiency of every private water supply within its area. Each local authority achieves this by conducting its statutory duties which includes; risk assessments, investigations, authorisations and monitoring (sampling and analysis). The Regulations also make provisions for local authorities to charge fees to the relevant person(s) for conducting these duties.
If through these duties a local authority deems a private water supply to be unwholesome and/or insufficient then it has the power under the Regulations to serve notices on the supply in order to mitigate against these risks
Local authorities are under a statutory duty to provide reporting information relating to private water supplies to the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers. This submission of data is due on 31 January of every year, for records relating to supplies in their area during the previous calendar year.
Interesting stuff, Wynne. So clearly if they have a private water source it’s encumbent on the local authority to check it’s OK. And they have scope to charge for this service. This is one of the real beefs I’ve got with this OPD thing. They are charged a miserable £400 a year council tax, plus presumably only the same fees for planning, building regs etc (if they pay any at all most times!) then the local authority, indirectly us, pays a disproportionate price if they are properly policed. They must be laughing all the way to their surely burgeoning bank accounts.
More information here
http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/epq/waterflooding/privatesupplies/?lang=en
Ultimately though Jac, the likes of “Tao” “Hoppi” etc and Lammas are a completely irritating distraction, it’s those in power that should be held to account for unleashing this on Wales . For instance, what was “Lord” Dafydd Elis Thomas’ involvement in all the TAN6 decision making, when he visited Lammas in 2011? http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/county/9356076.Lord_takes_a_look_at_county_s_green_enterprises/
No wonder Plaid Cymru are in such a mess, if the likes of Dafydd Thomas were in charge. How could somebody who was heading the National Party of Wales, end up sitting on the Queens Privy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dafydd_Elis-Thomas The Queen’s Privy council is inhabited by compromised and corrupt politicians like Keith Vaz, now how did Dafydd Thomas end up there and what does that say about the decision making he has made for Wales over the years?
The SNP does not have ‘lords’. Their position is clear, they want to abolish the house of lords. Clear stance in Scotland. Plaid Cymru was compromised when DET took the ermine, and PC will have to live with the fudge.
Many Welsh people will have no problem with the concept and need for Eco housing and “sustainability” in Wales, but this should be for the benefit of people from Wales, not as a means to attract middle class people from England to move to Wales and yet again, displace those from Wales. Why haven’t people like “Tao”, who is “originally from a suburban house in Berkshire” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSqPs51iY18 been pushing for these planning law changes in England instead of Wales?
In all the Lammas PR videos and I’ve endured a few, he never discusses the people of Wales or anything about Wales, other than a place to set up your low impact house. Having lived for years in “Hippy” commune bubbles, such as Tippi Valley and Brithdir Mawr in Wales, he will be more than aware of their lack of integration within Welsh Society, so he is disingenuous and thick skinned to disregard or pretend otherwise. There is a very strong sense, when seeing these videos of him, that he see’s himself as some sort of messianic figure of the “Low impact movement”, it’s uncomfortable watching, like he’s trying very hard to manipulate his audience. This is a video from the early days of the Lammas planning and he regards his role as pivotal in “bringing together two communities” very egotistical, deluded and arrogant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaNrE9LwneY
Arrogant myth making however, is something that has defined these people, throughout their long campaign, here is a prime example from 2003:
“County Councillor Steve Watkins said, planning laws were not something dreamed up by the national park officers, but created by the people for the people.
“There’s an element of sheer arrogance about people who disregard them, which implies that they are above the law,” he said. “I cannot support this is any form at all.”
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/parks-eco-hut-condemned-2465233
I’m sorry Jac……I find Hoppi quite seductive. I think I’m going to sign up. Do wish me luck 😉
You fool! It’s the siren’s call luring you to your doom!
For a modest £10 per month I see you can sign up to regular videos into your in-box from Hoppi. No, perish the though, it won’t be “Hoppi does Haverfordwest” or anything as exciting as that. These are meant to calm you down, not raise the blood pressure. They are part of her “Sunday Stillness” idea “designed to ignite your creativity, focus and calm your mind, open your heart and align your soul with your inner truth”. Well she’s made a few potential new customers judging from our comments on the last few articles about Lammas..
You can also stay in their shed for £122/£200, for 2 days or £350/600, retreat….enough to send your blood pressure soaring! http://lammasearthcentre.co.uk/eco-retreats/ So the last ten years or so, has been about “Tao” setting him and his mates up to exploit the new planning laws and create their capitalist ventures to attract English tourists into the area (not very environmentally friendly, all those cars driving to Lammas) before sounding the clarion call to all and sundry, to exploit the planning laws in Wales
Edit to above,forgot o mention this was in Swansea
Jac slightly off tangent here ,Wales online are reporting a story regarding “aggresive” cold callers tring to sell household goods .
Nothing new there maybe ,but further into the article ,it states that these people are actually being bussed in,by some local authority or other to help them possibly re- intergrate into society ,and where are these people from ,yes that local outpost ,Middlesbourough.
WTF !
Will check that. Thanks for the tip.
Walsingham Support, a charity whose goal is support for people with learning disabilities, run The Forge at Clydach and it has a similar establishment in Middlesborough. They are currently advertising for a ‘van driver’ in both Middlesborough and Swansea. It has contracts with both councils.
It appears to be an ‘upstanding charity’ but have recently got into a bit of bother with their resident chef at the in-house cafe who’s been evicted for …
(a) hosting private after-hours parties with alcohol,
(b) free lunches for rough sleepers,
(c) Hospitality to Tonia Antoniazzi MP.
The chef has been ‘locked out’ of the premises last week and placed with an eviction order. So it appears that the ‘governance’ at the charity is going through some problems. Possible line of enquiry.
This happened in Caernarfon in the Summer. They tried to spin me a line that they were on a youth rehabilitation scheme. The tracksuit two didn’t realise that my neighbour was from Middlesborough and didn’t recognise which part of Middlesborough they claimed to be from.
From other reported cases, they do surveillance on the property first, then return at later date. Rough as, both of them.
I instantly regretted giving him air time, as he unloaded his whole bag of cleaning products.
I’ve read it now. It’s hell of a way from Middlesbrough to Swansea, there must be plenty of places nearer. Though I notice they focused on the more affluent areas on the west side.
Yep. Bishopston and Upper Killay? Don’t the houses there have domestic servants and butlers to do the cleaning? Cant has nailed the MO. Obviously an attempt to stake out the gaff, property assessment with opportunities for a subsequent burglary. Strange thing is that people from Middlesborough have a very distinctive accent so it appears organised. I knew a lady once from Reynoldston. I thought she was from Sir Gâr, turns out that’s the way they say Gower. Too posh for the likes of me. All I get is pizza leaflets.
Thank you Jac for publishing yet more evidence of another policy that creates a clear dis-benefit to Wales and partly funded by Westminster.
The couple from Liverpool that you mention are Kate & Leander and they are also building a spread of their own at Llamas. Put some turf on the roof of your 4 bed detached and it becomes eco and convince the planners that it blends in with the landscape.
Kate & Leander’s ‘Scouse Castle’, when compared to their semi in Liverpool, can be seen in the Lammas Newsletter (link below):
https://lammas.org.uk/?wysija-page=1&controller=email&action=view&email_id=20&wysijap=subscriptions
She describes the Earth Centre/Temple as, “the creation of a divinely guided dream”. Is she having visions?
Or hallucinations from sampling the plants or mushrooms they grow!
I am lost for words Jac. Unbelievable. What on earth is going on. How do you feel about sending a link to your post to Assembly scrutiny committees and possibly Cllr. Jacob Williams Chair of Planning Committee in Pembrokeshire. You will be aware, from copy correspondence, that the Council’s Building Regulation department have decided not to cooperate with an investigation to establish whether correct protocol has been followed and whether the structures comply with Building Regulations. Many thanks for bringing this to the attention of a wider audience in Wales.
Wynne – you seem more au fait with Building Regs than me. How do these people get around things that are imposed these days like dropped steps so as to accommodate disabled access, wider doors for wheelchairs (or perhaps they don’t have any?), that sort of buggeration factor that new developers find can cause a design problem? If i built a new house, for example, wouldn’t i have to instal a sprinkler system now? Just how many of the rules and regulations are these people either ignoring or are exempted from?
Hot off the press. Copy below of my correspondence today with Building Control Pembrokeshire Council .
To: Pembrokeshire County Council – Building Control Manager – Richard Lawrence
Thank you for your further communication dated 19 January. I am pleased to note that Pembrokeshire County Council are taking an active role in contributing to investigations into the tragic fire at Glenfell Tower in London. The series of fires that I have previously referred to relate to “eco settlements ” located in Wales. You refer to a letter dated 16 January from Lesley Griffiths A M Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, responding on behalf of the First Minister Carwyn Jones A M. The statements are based on an assumption that correct process has been followed and that a private Approved Inspector was satisfied that the “eco dwelling” destroyed by fire complied with Building Regulation 2010 [as amended]. As you have indicated that you are not prepared to cooperate with a local investigation it remains unclear how the facts can now be established. I believe the U K Government has already concluded, following the events in London, that Building Regulations in England are not fit for purpose.
You will be aware that responsibility for Building Regulations transferred from U K Government to Welsh Government in 2009 as a devolved function. The Welsh Ministers [Transfer of Functions] [No. 2] Order 2009 was made on 17 November 2009 and came into force on 31 December 2011. Building Regulations 2010 are amended under powers contained in Section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to, the Building Act 1984. New Regulation 37 A [1] [c] came into force on 1 January 2016. I am advised by Mr Colin Blick, Building Standards Technical Manager, Welsh Government that there is now a requirement to provide automatic fire suppression equipment [sprinklers] in all new dwellings in Wales. Circular W G C / 007 / 2016 refers. Are you now in a position to confirm that automatic fire suppression equipment will be required in all new “eco dwellings” in Pembrokeshire. Do you anticipate any technical issues on rural sites that may not be served by a mains water supply. If you consider that this enquiry should be redirected to Mr Colin Blick at Welsh Government please advise and I shall redirect the enquiry.
Further information relating to “eco dwellings” in Pembrokeshire now under construction is available at the Jacothenorth blog. A link is provided below:
https://jacothenorth.net/blog/
You are welcome to contribute to the debate. There appears to be continuing confusion regarding Plot 6 Maes Melangell” The planning application states that the large circular structure is a greenhouse which is central to the 4 bedroom dwelling house. Media reports confirm that the circular structure is a temple to worship the god Melangell. A link to the applicants website is provided below. The purpose of the building is unambiguous. The circular structure is for worship and spiritual healing. Further, this is partly a commercial enterprise including paying guests.
http://lammasearthcentre.co.uk/melangell-retreat-centre/
In addition to the matter of planning consent for a temple/retreat/hotel, the question of public safety is clearly of concern, particularly in view of recent events at the Lammas site and in London. From a Building Regulation perspective, I would expect to see calculations approved by a structural engineer to ensure public safety. I understand your colleague in the Planning Department Peter Horton has been requested to investigate from a planning perspective and to take whatever enforcement action is considered necessary.
I look forward to receiving confirmation that automatic fire suppression equipment [sprinklers] will be installed in all new “eco dwellings” and that they will be required to comply fully with Building Regulations 2010.
You will be kept fully informed along with the First Minister and Assembly Scrutiny Committee as this local investigation progresses. I shall be making further representations to the First Minister in due course when the full facts have been established.
Regards
Wynne Jones
From: Lawrence, Richard
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2018 11:56 AM
To: ‘Wynne Jones’
Cc: WG – Carwyn Jones A M ; NAW – CCERA
Subject: RE: Eco dwellings in Wales – Building Regulations 2010 – Fire hazard
Dear Mr Jones,
Thank you for your email. Responsibility for the making or Building Regulations in Wales rests with the Welsh Government. I am not aware that you have been appointed by Welsh Government to conduct a review of the regulations. In fact Lesley Griffiths AM clearly stated in her letter of the 16th January 2018 that the Welsh Government have no plan to review the building regulations in respect of the occupation and completion certificate provisions. Should the Welsh Government commence a review of the regulations and request our input we will liaise with them via the appropriate channels.
You may or may not be aware that there are various government investigations being done following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in London. Building Control bodies (including Pembrokeshire County Council and LABC) are taking an active role in contributing to these investigations. We do not have the luxury of time to duplicate this effort on unsanctioned investigations.
Regards
Richard Lawrence
Building Control and Structures Manager
Pembrokeshire County Council, County Hall, Freemans Way, Haverfordwest. Pembrokeshire. SA61 1TP
Tel: 01437 775251
Very impressive, Wynne. Excellent stuff and it will be interesting to see where it leads. Not impressed with the ostrich-like, head in the sand response of the Building Department though.
Since sprinkler systems are there to ensure public safety in occupied buildings, it seems if OPD builds are exempted, we are prepared to put the lives of these enlightened new arrivals into our country at risk. i’m sure the people batting for them would hate to see that, so I trust they will support the FULL implementation of ALL Building Regulations that apply to the rest of us.
Copy of further response from Building Control below Stan.
Dear Mr Jones,
Thank you for your email. The requirements relating to sprinklers are set out in Regulation 37A of the Building Regulations. Transitional provisions for the introduction of sprinklers are set out in Welsh Statutory Instrument 2013 No.2730 (W.264)
We are aware that our Planning Enforcement team have recently visited the Tir y Gafel site and we will be liaising with them to identify any building regulation enforcement issues on the site.
Regards
Richard Lawrence
Building Control and Structures Manager
Pembrokeshire County Council, County Hall, Freemans Way, Haverfordwest. Pembrokeshire. SA61 1TP
Tel: 01437 775251
The tone of Mr Lawrence’s response indicates clearly that he’s a jobsworth who does as little as possible just to ensure that he keeps his arse covered and make as few waves as possible. Sadly he’s not unique. Public sector in Wales is riddled with blokes like this which is why shysters and spivs find it so easy to navigate around them. In a way, a bloody big fire at one of these hippy hovels with some loss of life among the residents might serve to jerk him out of his stupor, or better still,get him the sack.
Good job the fires (there have been quite a few at OPDs in Pembrokeshire) have not yet resulted in a fatality. Richard Lawrence can be summoned by the coroner if he is suspected of being negligent.
Spread the word as widely as possible, Wynne. The more people that know about this con the more chance there is of stopping it, and imitators.
All ‘escape’ cults go through the stage of construction of a community building or temple.
It happened at ‘Heavens Gate’ in California and at ‘Jonestown’ in Guyana. I notice that the practice of ‘sun god’ and ‘earth temple’ worship has already started on site and one of the leaders of the Lammas settlement has given himself a shaman name of ‘Tao’.
This is Hoppi (life partner and spiritual essence of Tao) launching the indoctrination process…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLp-FD0An4I
Brychan
Thanks for the video, I turned the sound down half way through just in case I become converted.
PCC planning are convinced the circular temple structure is a greenhouse which is central to Plot 6 dwelling house application which has planning approval. The elevation plan Jac has published names the dwelling as Maes Melangell. The plot thickens when you refer to part of the Lammas website which describes Melangell as a temple (see below). Plus the Hoppi Hippi video and Facebook says temple.
I think it is a temple and the house plan is cover to get planning approval. Paul Tao Wimbush has proved very adept at manipulating the planning system to his advantage.
http://lammasearthcentre.co.uk/melangell-retreat-centre/
I haven’t risked watching this one Andy, but I have given some thought about your previous suggestion, that the new temple will have “an altar in the middle to sacrifice any planners who object.” Perhaps they are thinking more on the lines of creating a giant effigy or Wicker man, from any “inflexible” planners or Councillors, which will be hoisted high above the new Temple and spun like a giant Catherine wheel, thus doubling, as an energy producing wind turbine!
Don’t give them ideas!
I think this makes it quite clear what’s happening there, Andy, so I’ve updated the blog.
Wellness! Wellness! Are they going to link up with Mark and Meryl down Delta Lakes?
You will notice that all three eco-villages (Martletwy, Brithdir Mawr and Lammas) share the same asset inflating and stripping business plan…
(1) Wealthy person purchases a cheap freehold on a plot of land.
(2) Freehold parcelled up to leasehold plots.
(3) Planning obtained by OPD and a few eco-dwellings constructed.
(4) Community ‘hub’ building erected.
(5) Revenue milked from external sources, Woodcraft, Wellness, and Witchcraft.
(6) Dispose of the freehold for a vast amount of cash by original investor.
Mr Ardern at Martletwy is a newcomer only at stage (3), Mr Wimbush at Lammas is at stage (4) already touting for punters at stage (5). Mr Orbach at Brithdir Mawr is due to hit stage (6) at the end of next year. He’s already offered first refusal to purchase the site at a price of £1million to the current occupiers. It’s an interesting business plan.
Which idiots would fall for the help save the planet – ghosties in the trees, – herbs for wellness – mantra (besides the Welsh government)?
Yes, that is a very logical conclusion to make and one that any wealthy, venture capitalist could be speculating on, given that the “Welsh” Government has once again sold out on Wales. Another part of the scam, is that the Eco villages behave as unregistered charities, asking for donations from the muggins general public on their websites, either via Paypal or crowd funding as Lammas has recently done to pay for Eco pods, no doubt to be used for private, money making ventures such as Air B&B accommodation. Brithdir Mawr “community” are begging in this way and potentially trying to get Government funding in an attempt to buy out Mr Orbach. Nice little earner for Mr Orbach, paid £150,000 for Brithdir Mawr in the early 90s, he now wants one million pounds for it! We all know this is what has made the cost of living unsustainable for many Welsh people living in these areas, wealthy English people buy up the homes as holiday cottages etc and send up the price of property, but again, it is the “Welsh” Government that has allowed this to happen!
“Common sense” Thomas Paine…. anyone?
She does have a very soft, almost seductive voice. Are these surnames like Wimbush and Bloom made up to give the impression they connect more closely with nature or is it just coincidence? A “Lewis, Jones or Davies” just wouldn’t be the same.
But what a load of horseshit that course is. The fees are £1550 this year, I think I can find far better things to do with my money than walking through a field of weeds with Wimbush and Co, nice calming voice or not.
I assume CAT at Machynlleth authenticates this ‘internationally recognised qualification’. I’d be interested to know if they also process the DBS/CRB checks on the tutors/hosts with DPP. It might be wise to check this out before allowing a hairy dropout from Sussex to take your kids for a walk in the woods.
TBH, I’ve always wondered why the ‘natives’ don’t start their own versions of such projects, in their own way of course. Given all their generations of local knowledge, they ought to be able to make a better fist of it. I find it hard to imagine that your incomers have any high-level links to the authorities, aside perhaps from the odd exception, drop-out son of a lord, type of thing, but these are pretty rare really. So if as you imagine, there is some kind of high-level conspiracy between the planners, Labour, and Plaid even, then who is behind it and what are their motives? Otherwise the whole thing is plainly bizarre. Follow the money, I suppose; the sum you mention seems frankly incredible, most hippyish projects I’ve encountered run on a shoestring.
‘Why don’t the useless Welsh does this?’ ‘Why don’t the useless Welsh do that?’ Why don’t you just fuck off.
Marconatrix – I don’t have any knowledge of the activities at Lammas but I spent many years living in the hills around Bethesda and I was very well acquainted with the first generation of hippies who moved to north Wales in the late 60s/early 70s. They too used to wonder why ‘the Welsh’ lived in council houses and worked in boring labouring jobs, when they ‘could be free like us’. The reality was that virtually all the free hippies that I knew did not have to work for a living like local people, they were all receiving money from their affluent middle class families in England when they needed it. On a day to day level they lived off their dole money or part time jobs pottering about, but when life’s essentials were needed such as a house, their parents stumped up. This syndrome was particularly evident when they had children – horrified middle class grandparents in England were not going to have their grandchild going without, so a bigger house would be financed and in several cases that I knew of, school fees for upmarket independent schools when the children got older. By the time the kids were approaching university years, the affluent grandparents were getting on in years and wills were being discussed.
I knew one person who was mates with this crowd who told me years later that she didn’t realise that they were just playing at being hippies and would all access family money when they needed a house or school fees. This lady felt very sore in mid life as she saw her own children struggle and have to work very hard whilst her free wheeling friends started to draw down their inheritances to send the kids to public schools because after all they needed to get into the right universities…
I knew another person – in my Welsh class actually – who got engaged to a local Welshman and seemed very keen on becoming ‘Welsh’. But then there was a baby on the way, so the posh house was needed. She saw an ever so charming derelict bakery at Bala, a snip at 300k and marvelled at the lack of vision of the locals who hadn’t put in any offers. She decided to buy it so she could renovate it and make organic bread ‘to sell to local farmers’. It all went pear shaped after a difficult birth when her mum from the south of England arrived , announced that her daughter and grandchild couldn’t possibly live in the back end of beyond like this and they all went back to Bournemouth. Except for the father of the baby who was a Welshman who worked in forestry and was certainly not going to live in Bournemouth.
I was mates with many such people and unlike Jac I don’t hate them. But I certainly noticed that they had no idea of what life Is like if you don’t have family money – they did not understand that they were privileged. In the end I realised that I had more in common with local Welsh people – I was English, a hippy and had received an education but I wasn’t receiving thousands off my parents. I had far more in common with working hill farmers because they were similar to the people whom I had grown up with in Somerset.
Class is a strong predictor of attitudes and future life, even if you play at being a hippy when you are young. I’ve left Wales now but I stayed there until I was in my early 50s – and I saw the kids of the hippies that I had been friends with become doctors and lawyers and the middle class professionals that their grandparents wanted them to be. They and their hippy parents were born with a silver spoon in their mouths even if they didn’t know it.
Many of the hippyish projects do need money to establish them even if gov’t grants are accessed as well. Furthermore if you’ve got to work at Tescos to make ends meet you’re not going to have the time or energy to build a temple.
You say that the hippies who have moved in do not hold influence – they bloody well do, because they and their families are articulate and will lobby politicians to get what they want. People like Jane Hutt come from the same background as them anyway – Hutt is the daughter of a London doctor who became a social worker herself.
Marconatrix, I am someone who for years tried to make myself heard concerning the abuse of psych patients in north Wales which was directly related to the abuse of children in care. The only politicians who gave me the time of day were Mark Isherwood and Darren Millar, two Tories. The Hutts and the Drakefords and the Lesley Griffiths and the Brian Gibbons’s didn’t want to know – because the people being abused and dying were poor, dispossessed people. If I’d have been campaigning for a govt grant to build a fucking henge I’d have received a better response.
I first wrote to a Minister about the criminal activities of the mental health services in north Wales in the mid 80s – I was dismissed and fobbed off by Wyn Roberts, the north Wales MP and Thatchers mate. Some three years later the Bethesda hippies began a campaign against the proposed Bethesda bypass which would have gone through the woods behind Bethesda. Most local people wanted the bypass as did local councillors. The hippies and Friends of the Earth were given a warm welcome by Wyn Roberts, he took up their case and the bypass was scrapped. The hippies couldn’t believe that an old Tory friend of Thatcher had been so great. But then they weren’t complaining about the biggest scandal of the abuse of poor people that the UK had ever seen.
The Bethesda hippies had more clout than the children of local people who were raped, beaten and abused in the children’s homes of north Wales and were then declared mad and banged up in psychiatric hospitals or framed and sent to prison.
English middle class people in Wales used to think that I was a bit of a traitor because I should have been one of them but I wasn’t. I couldn’t be one of them because I knew what was happening to people with no money and no education in north Wales. It is still happening. The Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board is lethal, it’s Chairman was one of those involved in the abuse of psych patients and who concealed the abuse of kids in care and the Vice Chair is married to the MP who also covered up all the shit in his role as Blairs PPS. The pair of them should be arrested and questioned. But all that will happen is that Vaughan Gething – a former lawyer who worked for a law firm representing NHS unions – will give that toxic corrupt Health Board even more millions to bail them out.
Well done Jac on digging out yet more on the mysterious goings on at the Lammas site.
I thought at first that the Community Hub might be the new circular monstrosity being erected, then Mrs Wimbush tells us it’s a temple, until you showed us the planning drawing identifying that as a dwelling so it’s a bit of a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. At one time I actually thought it might be a gigantic water tower, handy to have on site for all those cases of spontaneous combustion of buildings there.
You are bang on about someone taking the piss here and the more you reveal to us, the more it feels to me worse than that, like they are actually pissing on us. TAN6 has opened the floodgates, I’m afraid. We’ve invited a parasitic new breed of alien drop-out into our countryside – and they are here to stay. You think Japanese knotweed has caused a problem in our countryside since the Victorians introduced it? Roll on 100 years from now, because this lot are going to be a major, major problem.
Keep up the good work.
The Community Hub was built years ago, but I doubt if it cost 325 grand.
Mea culpa. Just spotted an artist’s image of it in the link you provided, giving an estimated start date for the building. Considering the first hobbit place cost about £4K to build, the Hub is surely a modern Wonder of the World with that grant. They should even have been able to afford a safe kitchen facility to make refreshments for visitors.
Jac, did they use the money to purchase more land from the Farm around Lammas, that was being sold off piecemeal? Potentially, they could then get OPD planning on this land and sell it on to another lot of incoming Eco villagers, a private money making venture, but using Government funding?
No idea. It’s just that £350,000 is a hell of a lot for what was built considering that the first house cost just £4,000.
A good chunk of the money was spent on the leet where they get their power from they have also got a 999 year leasehold ? Im not sure if are aware that Lammas is a Legal entity and Tir Y Gafel has directors paul or Toa said on living in the future video that Lammas would not be possible without volunteers,also simons place that burned down was the second one of his so he crowd funded for over half a million to rebuild.
None of this is true apart from what “tao” may have said. He will say anything.