Blunder that gave go-ahead to axe much-loved bell at lighthouse

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to replace a famous lighthouse bell has been given the green light due to “human error”, forcing a council to apologise.

A “procedural error” saw planning officers back the Listed Building Consent (LBC) application by Trinity House for alterations at Penmon’s Trwyn Du lighthouse in Anglesey, while avoiding the scrutiny of elected councillors.

This was despite requests by local members to “call in” the item to the planning committee, which should have seen the hotly contested plans decided by councillors rather than officers.

The contentious aspect of the plans involve replacing the hazard warning bell with a standard foghorn as used by other lighthouses across the country.

But opponents have argued for the retention of the bell, which has rung around the clock every 30 seconds since 1922.

Trinity House, the authority for lighthouses in England and Wales, say that the current system is no longer reliable for mariners and that a new device would be “simpler to monitor and maintain”, with the 178kg fog warning bell to remain in place but unused.

With the bell described as “not having the clarity of modern fog signal emitters”, Trinity House cited the need for consistency with other lighthouses and cost implications.

The planning committee’s report confirms that the plans have been approved, including the replacement of the 1990s solar panels and new access point with new metal steps and platform to allow safe opening of the doorway.

Council officers stated that Cadw had raised no objection to the plans as they “did not adversely impact upon its character”.

The report states that, while one member had withdrawn their “call in” request, another member – Cllr Carwyn Jones – had refused to do so – an error which was not spotted until after planning consent had been awarded.

Having later sought legal advice, officers added that the decision is set to stand unless challenged and overturned in the courts, but that an internal action plan has been put in place to avoid a repeat in future.