BYPASS MAY MEAN FORCED LAND BUY-UP

COMPULSORY purchase orders will be used if necessary to ensure that a £14m Gwynedd bypass project remains on track.

Due to the volume of traffic heading towards Shell Island, congestion has long been a problem in parts of the A496 which runs through Llanbedr, with calls for a solution dating back over 50 years.

But to allow the project to move forward on time, Tuesday saw members of Gwynedd Council’s cabinet approve the use of compulsory purchase orders if agreement cannot be reached with any of the 14 individually affected landowners.

The current timescale would see construction completed during the spring of 2023, with hopes that the 1.5km bypass will also improve access to Llanbedr Airfield – also known as Snowdonia Aerospace Centre – and currently used for testing and developing unmanned drone aircraft for civilian use.

Plans for the bypass were passed for a second time in March of this year after the initial approval by the Snowdonia National Park saw an unhappy landowner submit an application for a judicial review on the basis of its impact on a nearby Special Area of Conservation.

The objection period for the more recent approval has now passed, however, meaning that Gwynedd Council may now proceed as planned.

During Tuesday’s virtual cabinet meeting, councillors were told that use of compulsory purchase orders “would not be draconian” and only if absolutely necessary.

Cllr Dafydd Meurig noted this may be one of the last major projects in Gwynedd to benefit from significant EU funding – almost £4m of the overall cost, with the Welsh Government making up the bulk and Gwynedd Council contributing £500,000.