Beach work halted by probe
AN investigation is under way after a caravan park allegedly carried out building work on a beach during lockdown without permission.
The work has been carried out on a section of St Ishmael beach between the Carmarthenshire villages of Kidwelly and Ferryside and which backs on to Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park.
It took place before the turn of the year and, according to Natural Resources Wales (NRW), was only halted after an officer turned up at the site.
Pictures taken from the scene show the altered landscape, with stones at the bottom of sand dunes.
According to the caravan park the work has taken place to prevent ‘potentially dangerous chunks of soil’ from falling on to the beach. It said it was keeping NRW regularly up to date on the work it was doing.
One nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, noticed the changes when walking in the area earlier this month.
He believed the work had been done to prevent erosion eating into the land where the caravans at the park, owned and managed by Parkdean Resorts, were located
“Cut stones have been dragged into place by a large digger, while the aggregate infill has been scraped up from the beach,” he claimed.
NRW confirmed it was now investigating the issue and that work was no longer being carried out at the site.
Ioan Williams, environment team leader for NRW, said: “We were made aware of this work being carried out in a Special Area of Conservation by Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park on December 28, 2020. An officer attended and stopped the work immediately. A full investigation into any failures to notify the relevant authorities and possible impacts on the marine environment is ongoing.”
Carmarthen Bay Holiday Park said it enjoyed a good relationship with NRW and that the only construction carried out in the area concerned had been emergency work done in an attempt to ward off potential danger to anyone on the beach below.
A spokesman for the caravan park said: “Emergency work is being carried out to stop large and potentially dangerous chunks of soil falling onto the beach. After seeking advice from coastal engineers, we appointed wellqualified local contractors, with experience in this field, to carry out the required work. We enjoy a very good working relationship with NRW, and are keeping them regularly updated on all the work we are carrying out.”
When asked to clarify the matter, NRW said it could not comment further because an investigation was ongoing.
A NEW film is to start production in Carmarthenshire and the Swansea Valley, though the road to shooting it has been anything but easy.
Producer and actor Craig Russell grew up in Cwmtwrch in the Swansea Valley and was behind 2017’s multi-award-winning cult sci-fi comedy horror film Canaries.
It told the story of an alien invasion which coincided with a New Year’s Eve party in Lower Cwmtwrch.
Starring an array of Welsh talent, it was shot on a shoestring budget of £29,000.
Shot on location across three continents, including Vietnam and North America, it was mainly Craig’s childhood village that featured in the film.
It premiered in London’s Leicester Square, held a spot in Sky Movies’ ‘most watched movies’ list for three months and has just been released on DVD.
Craig, who now lives in Cornwall, is about to start shooting his next film called Protein, but just getting this far has been a huge challenge in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plot centres on a traumatised ex-soldier who cannot afford the diet and protein he needs to lift his target weight, so in true horror-film style he decides to kill and eat those who can.
Filming is finally expected to get under way this April after the pandemic brought his plans and the entire film industry to its knees.
Once again
Craig is returning to Cwmtwrch to shoot, as well as using locations in Carmarthen and Llanelli.
He said: “Coming off the back of Canaries I was approached about making a follow-up, and so I thought it would be easy enough to raise the money needed, which is £160,000.
“Protein is my next feature as a producer and we were meant to shoot it last November, but as we were planning everything back in March the lockdown came in.
“As time went on it led to the departure of nervous investors and with it came all the uncertainty within the film industry, so everything stopped for us. We are shooting in April but still need to make up half the finance needed.”
Along with director Tony Burke, executive producer Huw Penallt Jones, who worked on the Harry Potter films, Craig has teamed up with Carmarthenshire-based production company Broadside Films, which is headed by Tom Gripper and Dan Bailey, who cut their teeth in short films.
Craig himself boasts an extensive catalogue of work as an actor, including parts in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, High Hopes and Belonging for BBC Wales, along with S4C’S Anita and Netflix’s The Last Kingdom.
For Protein he will play the lead character and is currently in intense training, “dropping weight and basically reshaping my body for the role”, he said.
He is getting expert training via online webcam sessions with fitness coach Trystan Bevan, who has put the likes of Welsh rugby stars Sam Warburton and Jamie Roberts through their paces.
Also cast in Protein are
Claire Cage, Kai Owen, Richard Mylan, Mark Lewis, Richard Elis, Kevin Mccurdy, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Craig says he is looking forward to starting filming, despite 2020 having been a very bitter pill to swallow for film-makers around the world.
From small productions to independents and those at the helm of Hollywood blockbusters, the coronavirus decimated the industry’s plans for films that were in production and those slated to begin.
However, some large productions did restart during the latter part of 2020, most notably Tom Cruise working on the latest instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise in London, complete with a strict Covid-19-safe regime in place.
While hopes of recovery are on the horizon for the industry, it is the sheer logistics of shooting in a pandemic that Craig says is proving to be to be a huge challenge.
He said: “Even down to the smallest detail, Covid
plays a part, it affects everything.
“For example, appropriate accommodation for the cast and team has to be factored in, social distancing on and off set along with cars to and from set, actors need a car each, they cannot share a ride as they normally would.
“If someone comes on set with a cough or temperature, it would cause delays no doubt, because safety comes first.”
It is having to look at each facet of the shoot and the domino effect the virus is having on access to location shoots, actors’ well-being and safety, all of which are paramount to the project getting done and getting done safely.
Craig explained: “The pandemic has challenged the industry like never before but everyone wants to get back to doing what they love. We can do this, and the industry will get back on its feet.
“We are going to be in Llanelli, Carmarthen and back where I grew up in Cwmtwrch.
“I’m not mentioning specific locations in the
Carmarthen or Llanelli areas just yet but I am excited to get started.”
For Craig, there’s no better place than Wales to work on a film.
“For me there is nowhere like Wales,” he said. “Where else can you drive from a city centre or busy town and within half an hour be up a mountain in the middle of nowhere?” he said.
“It is so rich in what it offers for film-making, whether that’s locations or the huge talent it has produced and continues to do so.
“You only have to look at The Pembrokeshire Murders that was on ITV recently.
“For me, it is the best example of what Wales has to offer, those episodes had everything, the scenery, the talent.”
Often overlooked is just how important the local community is on any film shoot.
Craig said Canaries could not have been done were it not for the huge effort of Cwmtwrch villagers, friends and family coming together.
The 43-year-old, who was a pupil at the nearby Maesydderwen Comprehensive School in Ystradgynlais, said: “As film-makers we rely on locations and places opening their doors to us and so a community and its people are vital to any shoot, I think.
“Canaries was screened locally in the Swansea Valley and that’s the aim for Protein next year.
“The plan is to get it out to the film festivals circuit in 2021 and from there into cinemas.”
For film lovers the pandemic may have given them a chance to kick back at home to watch movies, but the shared magic of cinema-going, that social glue that binds people together in front of the silver screen in the dark, is something that cannot be replaced, no matter how big your television is at home.
Craig remains optimistic for the year ahead.
“I think by the end of the year people will be back in cinemas. With the vaccines being rolled out I hope things will be under control soon,” he said.
“For me growing up in a small community, a cinema is just as important as the local pub or shop, it brings people together and we have all missed that over the last year.”
Wales is once again being put on the moviemaking map thanks to Craig’s devotion to his craft and love of film.
Any potential investors wishing to contact the production team about offering to plug the funding gap for Protein can email Tom Gripper at Broadside Films on tom. gripper@broadsidefilms. co.uk