Wednesday 5th January 2011 Double trouble for sat nav following lorry driver
A lorry driver got stuck in the Welsh village of Beddgelert twice in
one day because he was following his sat nav and ignoring traffic
signs. The Halfords delivery lorry was trying to drive between Bangor
to Aberystwyth when he got stuck in the small village near Mount
Snowdon. Police were called in to escort him away when he got jammed
yet again on his return journey. Halfords apologised for the incident
and said a full review will be held. Gwynedd Council said signs
advised that routes through the village were not suitable for large
vehicles. Such incidents are a regular problem for the villagers. "A
month ago I put a piece in our community newsletter asking people to
take pictures of any incidents and to send them to me, as a way to
monitor the situation," said Sharon Sanders, from Plas Tan y Graig in
Beddgelert. North Wales

Tuesday 4th January 2011 Plans recommended for massive dragon tower
Councillors are being recommended to approve a plan for a massive 64m
high dragon tower to mark the border with England and Wales. Plans for
the Waking the Dragon landmark at Chirk Park feature a glass tower
topped by a red dragon made from bronze. Supporters of the project are
claiming it would create nearly 200 jobs and bring £3.5m a year into
Wrexham. It is the brainchild of Simon Wingett who has been working on
project in memory of his father, Frank Wingett, who died from cancer
in 1988. A public fundraising campaign to finance the building costs
has pledged that every donor's name would be recorded on the site.
Chief planning officer for Wrexham, Lawrence Isted, said: "Even with
the lowest scenario presented by 125,000 visitors, it has the
potential to create significant economic and wider impacts which would
be of benefit to Wrexham, north Wales and Wales as a whole - and at no
public cost.” North Wales

Thursday 2nd December 2010 Bangor arts centre plans get £27.5m green light
The welcome confirmation of £27.5m in funding for a proposed arts and
innovation centre in Bangor means the construction work can finally
start. The Bangor University-led Pontio project was pledged £12.5m
from the European Regional Development Fund, along with £15m from the
Welsh Assembly Government. Other funds to make up the £37m total will
come from the Arts Council of Wales and the university. Despite
protests to try to keep Theatr Gwynedd open, Bangor hasn’t had a
theatre since 2008. Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said:
"Pontio will offer a platform for arts and innovation that will
benefit the whole community in the north west of Wales." North Wales

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Mountain chair must be removed
A wooden chair left on a Welsh mountain top must be removed. The seat
was left as a thank you present to the community near Cadair Idris,
Gwynedd but has fallen foul of countryside rules. 15 people took four
hours to carry Nick Bullen's creation, an 8ft (2.43m) oak chair up the
peak. Snowdonia National Park and Countryside Council for Wales have
both condemned the gesture saying allowing the chair to stay would set
a "dangerous precedent". Mr Bullen told the press: "We were contacted
by the park who told us that they are contacted, nearly every day, by
someone who wants to place a memorial bench or plaque on a mountain,
and if it was allowed the mountain would quickly become littered." North Wales

Wednesday 20th October 2010 Van collides with steam train near Porthmadog
A narrow gauge locomotive has been in collision with a van on an open
crossing in Gwynedd, according to police reports. Locomotive number
138 from the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway train was
travelling from Pont Croesor to Caernarfon when the accident happened
at Ynysfor. The train was carrying around 100 passengers but no one
was injured. Paul Lewin of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway
said: "One bolt was scratched on the loco and the side panel of the
van was damaged. It appears that the train clipped the front of the
van." The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways are two narrow gauge
railways operated by the Ffestiniog Railway Company. North Wales

Monday 4th October 2010 Plans for long awaited redevelopment of Prestatyn High Street on show
A long awaited town centre redevelopment moves a step forward as plans
go before residents in Prestatyn, Denbighshire. Views on the proposals
for Prestatyn High Street are being sought. The planned redevelopment
includes a range of new shops and a Tesco store. Land behind
Prestatyn’s High Street has been waiting for redevelopment for over a
decade after plans, originally submitted by Tesco, were shelved when a
developer took over an adjacent site. The two parties subsequently
worked together on a joint proposal which itself was put on hold by
the economic downturn. Councillor James Davies, chairman of
Prestatyn's town development committee, said of the latest plans:
"This has the potential to revolutionise Prestatyn with quality
shopping, jobs and redevelopment." The plans are being shown at Scala
Cinema and Arts Centre, High Street, until 6 October, 2010. North Wales

Monday 6th September 2010 Car crashes through pub toilet wall
The landlady of the Gredington Arms in Llan y Pwll, near Wrexham had
surprise visitors when a car crashed through the wall of the pub’s
gents. Di Watson was with customers at about 9pm on Saturday night on
September 4, 2010, when she heard a massive bang. Mrs Watson said: "I
knew exactly what had happened. It has happened before. A car with
several people had gone into the wall, flown through the air and
embedded itself in the gents' toilets." The driver of the vehicle was
taken to hospital with a suspected broken wrist. The accident happened
on a bend on the A534 near Sandy Lane at Llan y Pwll and caused the
road to be closed overnight. North Wales

Thursday 26th August 2010 Man rescued from River Dee in Llangollen after jumping
Police were called to a bridge over the river Dee at Llangollen,
Denbighshire at about 2000 BST on Tuesday 24 August in response to
reports that a man described as in a "distressed situation" appeared
ready to jump. Trained negotiators spent nearly 90 minutes talking to
the man but he then fell or jumped about 20ft into the water. Police
were able to rescue the man from the river and he was hospitalised
with serious injuries. North Wales Police have appealed for witnesses
to the incident. North Wales Police had cordoned off the area and
Castle Street was closed. It re-opened about an hour later. Anyone
with information is asked to contact the police and fire service joint
control room on 101, quoting incident reference number L157814. North Wales

Wednesday 11th August 2010 National Trust in £3m Llyn Peninsula bid
The National Trust has launched a £3m fundraising appeal to buy a stretch of Llyn Peninsula on the Gwynedd coastline. If the bid is successful it will represent the biggest piece of coastline the trust has purchased in the last five years. The 16 acre site the Trust is attempting to secure is between Henfaes and Porth Simdde. The trust wants to protect it from "unsightly and inappropriate" tourist development. A trust spokesman said: "A beautiful coastline and a way of life are under threat. If we can't acquire this coastline, it could fall into the hands of property developers seeking to exploit the area. This isn't a place for modern holiday apartments or tourist attractions. It's a place to enjoy unspoilt seaside vistas, quaint cottages and farms, and a traditional coastal way of life." North Wales

Thursday 15th July 2010 Pods used to provide affordable homes in Snowdonia
Wooden framed pods are at the heart of a plan to build four affordable
homes within the Snowdonia National Park. The buildings will go up in
the rural village of Dolwyddelan in Conwy, which has a chronic
shortage of homes - especially for young families. Social housing
association Tai Clwyd are building the houses which are put together
on site and clad in stone and wood. A slate roof is then added to the
pod to complete the building. Tai Clwyd chief executive Alwyn Llwyd
said they should be ready by Christmas and described them as
'cutting-edge': "These houses are being built using sustainable wood
grown in Wales, and will help residents live in a 'greener' way," he
said. North Wales