At a recent public meeting, I undertook to contact all residents of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, regarding the recent difficulties which have arisen from a surge in visitors to Pistyll Rhaeadr. I therefore write to you, alongside County Councillor Aled Davies and Russell George AM, to update you on the action taken by all of your public agencies within the last couple of weeks.
Dyfed Powys Police have temporarily increased resourcing to the village and surrounding areas to educate, inform and direct visitors. This seems to have worked well to date, but the weather may also have helped. They have also engaged with Police forces across the Midlands to communicate the capacity issues of our tourist sites within Mid Wales, and how it is imperative that people should plan ahead before visiting. I want to say a huge thank you to the Police, who to date have been terrific in dealing with a difficult challenge.
Working with Councillor Aled Davies, we have secured a temporary clearway on Waterfall Street and for the duration of the C2219 leading up to Pistyll Rhaeadr. This prohibits all vehicles from stopping or parking on the road between Tan y Ffordd, Ochor and the waterfall within the area unless for an emergency, and gives additional powers to both council enforcement officers and the Police to remove vehicles. There have also been enforcement measures introduced within the village itself, such as double yellow lines and no waiting restrictions. I am very hopeful that these measures will help to prevent any further disruption in the medium to longer term.
Lastly, we were all pleased with the undertaking from the custodian of the falls to increase parking capacity, and to provide clearer and up to date information on their website and social media pages for visitors.
We are extremely fortunate to live in a beautiful and peaceful area of the world. While I realise there have been huge difficulties for local residents over the past number of weekends, I hope these measures will start to ease these problems immediately. Clearly, capacity on our roads has recently been, and to some degree always will be, an issue. If you have any ideas as to what further action you would like to be implemented, or indeed any comments you may have, please feel free to write to me or contact me on the below details.
Kind regards,
Craig
Craig WIlliams MP
