Welsh Government have today released a Statement on the future of Gilestone Farm.
It states that following the discovery of Ospreys nesting on the Gilestone site, the “full commercial and charitable objectives of the Green Man Group, as set out in its business plan for the use of Gilestone Farm, can no longer be realised”.
James Evans MS for Brecon & Radnorshire said:
“I believe the purchase of Gilestone Farm by Welsh Government should never have happened in the first place. There were serious concerns raised about the appropriateness of this particular site and its suitability for the proposed use.
All conversations I had on this topic, whether with elected officials, members of the community or at the public meeting I convened – all discussions were respectful of the opposing viewpoint and I have not witnessed any of the alleged inappropriate behaviour outlined in this statement. The lack of information from Welsh Government and lack of Community involvement throughout the whole process was extremely frustrating and I hope that lessons will be learnt in future developments that Welsh Government may wish to undertake.
Conservation concerns were raised early on in this process, as were concerns about the purchase of the farm itself, and now the Labour Government finds itself holding an expensive asset for a purpose completely alien to their initial plan. The next time the Labour Government plans to get the cheque book out, they should listen to local concerns and conduct themselves with far greater transparency.”
Fay Jones MP added
The purchase of Gilestone Farm without a Business plan should never have happened. This has been a waste of tax payer funding which has caused unnecessary division in a community.
While I am glad that Green Man will remain in Powys as an asset to our area, work must now begin with the community to determine the future of Gilestone Farm.
