FEARS FOR FUTURE OF VILLAGE
Problems in Garn echo worries of rural areas across the county as pub and shop close six miles out of town
LOCALS fear that a pub shutting and an increase in second homes could spark the closure of a village school.
Mum-of-three Caroll Ann Morris, 52, and a community group called Friends of Garn have called a meeting to discuss halting the decline of Garndolbenmaen, six miles from Porthmadog, in Gwynedd.
They also want to look at ways of breathing new life into the village.
Caroll, of Bro Gwgan, said: “We lost our village shop over two-and-a-half years ago and our post office.
“Now, with the help of our MP Liz Saville Roberts, we have been able to secure a weekly visit from a mobile post office, which has a lot of use and proves beyond doubt the need for the service.
“The Cross Foxes Inn closed its doors on April 1 due to the licensees’ retirement. “It has been up for sale for a few years.” Looking around the village of Garndolbenmaen and the community of Dolbenmaen, which has a population of around 1,200, Caroll said up to 30 out of 120 houses were second homes. She said: “It’s a high percentage.” Prices vary from around £100,000 for a twobedroomed terrace to £350-400,000 for a bigger house.
Caroll said: “There are far too many second homes which are hardly used in the village and the closure of the pub will have a knockon effect.
“Who wants to live in a village six miles from the nearest town if it hasn’t got a pub or a shop? What is there to attract people, especially young people, to live here?
“A lot of local people, as well as B&Bs and holiday lets, will be affected by this.
“Unfortunately,“f l theh schoolh l will ll eventuallyll b be affected and I don’t want to see that day coming.”
A meeting about the future of the village will be held at the village hall on April 13.
Caroll is hopeful that local people can now go after any grants which are available to try and buy the pub and make it a community asset. She said: “I have 40 years’ experience in theth catering, tourism and retail sector. Myself and the rest of Friends of Garn have the same experience and we also have Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) mmembers on board.” Caroll said they hope to turn the pub iinto “a thriving asset for the whole commmunity”, which could include a shop. A woman at the Cross Foxes Inn said: “I am not talking to the newspapers. I think some of the community have done that.” A Gwynedd Council spokesman said there were no plans for closing the village school, which has 57 pupils. Miss Morris is Plaid Cymru election candidate for the Dolbenmaen ward. Present councillor, Liberal Democrat Stephen Churchman, said: “The pub’s closure is a sad loss for the village.”