A delegation of Cymuned members who wished to present a letter calling on the owner of ‘La Voile’ restaurant in Felinheli to apologise for ordering a member of staff not to speak Welsh was yesterday evening (Saturday, 21/07/07) met by locked doors and a refusal to engage in discussions.

In bizarre scenes, a hand-written note was hastily placed in one of the restaurant’s windows stating that the restaurant was ‘closed for a private party’ and that the owner was ‘in Florida’. While other local restaurants were dealing with their busiest night of the week, ‘La Voile’ stood empty.

‘This response will do real damage to La Voile,’ said Aled Jôb, who organised the delegation. ‘People in y Felinheli are furious at this offensive attitude to the Welsh language, and we will spend the next week collecting names on a petition calling on the owners to apologise, which we will present next Saturday evening.’

Cymuned have been in touch with the Commission for Racial Equality in Cymru, who have made it clear that this kind of anti-Welsh attitude is unacceptable. The Commission have indicated that they will offer support to the member of staff in question if an official complaint is received.

Photos available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lt_cymuned/

Video available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G4dQ-kAQqU

For more details, please call Cymuned on 01758-612712.

The fight to stop a development of 223 houses proposed by the National Trust on Erddig ground gathered pace this weekend when local residents formed the Rhostyllen Residents Committee in order to spearhead opposition to the plan. The Committee is calling on local county councillor Mark Pritchard to request a site visit for the development, in order to make sure that councillors have a clear understanding of the situation, and will be holding a public meeting to discuss the development in the Rhostyllen Community Centre in the near future.

Regional AM for North Wales Janet Ryder was present at the formation of the committee, and reported on a number of requests for information she had made regarding the development, offering her continued support for the residents committee in the future. Representatives from the communities pressure group Cymuned were also in the meeting, and the residents committee decided unanimously to request Cymuned to act in an advisory and support capacity to the committee.

The Rhostyllen Residents Committee will be pressing on with requests to meet with the National Trust. The National Trust have refused to meet with representatives from Cymuned, and have been slow to respond to requests for information regarding the covenant on the Erddig land. Local resident Tara Green says ‘If the
National Trust cared as much about local opinion as they claim, it would have been a very straightforward matter for them to agree to meet us when we first requested, several months ago.’

Over 200 signatures have been collected in Rhostyllen on a petition against the development, and there is growing anger in the village about the way legitimate concerns are being ignored. Cymuned passed on almost 100 objections to the county council’s planning department, with concerns ranging from worries about increased traffic, the loss of green space, increased pressure on the local school and the fact that there is no local need for this development.

Russell Ellis, chairman of the Rhostyllen Residents Committee, says ‘The community of Rhostyllen are very unhappy about the lack of consultation there has been for such a large scale development. It will change people’s lives – and too many people in Rhostyllen still don’t even know it’s happening. We call on them to come to the public meeting we will be arranging, and to get in touch with us if they want to help the campaign.’

Representatives of Cymuned, the communities pressure group, will be meeting with the Liberal Democrats’ housing spokesman, Peter Black, this Wednesday (04/07/07), to discuss the need for a sustainable, local housing market in Wales.

“We’re extremely pleased to have this opportunity to discuss these matters with the Liberal Democrats. We have spoken recently with the leaders of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly, and are looking forward to hearing the response of the Labour Party to our request for the opportunity to discuss this matter with them as well,” said Aran Jones, Cymuned’s Chief Executive.

Cymuned believes that there is an urgent need for wide-ranging discussion on the principle of establishing a local and sustainable housing market, instead of over-focusing on affordable housing in a way which shows signs of creating unnecessary complications for both buyers and sellers, and that the establishment of a sustainable local housing market would prevent the current disintegration of communities throughout Wales, and provide a solid basis for the vital work of strengthening local economies in order to create a better future for the entire country. The group runs the Homes4Locals.com campaign to encourage people to get involved in their own communities and make a difference at grass-roots level.

For more details, contact Cymuned’s office on 01758-612712.