Pobl Y Bala, Llangywer, Llanuwchllyn a’r cylch rydym yn apelio am eich help.
Mae Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid wedi treulio dros 10 mlynedd gan wario dros £1.4miliwn yn datblygu cynllyn i ymestyn y rheilffordd i’r Bala.
Pam bo ni’n gwneud hyn? Mae’r rheilffordd yn cludo ymwelwyr a phobl lleol rhwng Llanuwchllyn a Phenybont sydd tu allan i’r Bala. Er bod rhai ymwelwyr wedyn yn cerdded i’r dref mae’r gweddill yn teithio yn syth yn ôl ar y trên a felly ddim yn bendithio y busnesau yn y stryd fawr. Rydym hefyd yn tynnu y rhai sy’n dal y trên ym Mhenybont i ffwrdd o’r Bala a felly mae llai o siawns y byddent hwy yn ymweld â’r dref. Rydym yn awyddus bod Y Bala yn bendithio yn llawn o’r ymwelwyr sy’n dod i’r ardal i deithio ar y trên.
Ers 2014 mae cynnydd o dros 70% yn y nifer o ymwelwyr i’r rheilffordd, a mae hyn yn creu problemau parcio ym Mhenybont, ac oherwydd hyn rydym yn hysbysebu i bobl gychwyn eu taith yn Llanuwchllyn sydd wedyn yn cynyddu y traffig trwy’r pentref.
Felly pwrpas y cynllyn yw cael y rheilffordd i ddod mor agos i stryd fawr Y Bala a sy’n bosib, gyda cyn lleied o effaith ar yr amgylchedd, er mwyn i’r siopa a llefydd bwyta yn y dref fanteisio yn llawn. Mae safle yr orsaf gyferbyn maes parcio sy’n dri chwarter gwag hyd yn oed yng nghanol Awst, felly bydd digon o lefydd priodol i’r ymwelwyr barcio. Bydd hyn yn ei dro yn datrys y problem parcio ar y B4403 ym Mhenybont ac wrth roi pwysa ar hysbysu y teithiau o’r Bala yn hytrach na Llanuwchllyn yn gostwng y traffig drwy’r pentref.
O ganlyniad, mae cefnogaeth ddigynsail i brosiect o’r fath, gan Liz Saville-Roberts AS, Mabon ap Gwynfor AS, Cynghorwyr a Chyngor Gwynedd, a cynghorau tref a phentrefi lleol yn ogystal â phobl y Bala.
Mae’r cynllyn ar fin cael ei drafod gan Bwyllgor Cynllunio Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri ar y 19eg o Ebrill. Ond mae’r Swyddog Cynllunio ar hyn o bryd yn gofyn i’r Pwyllgor WRTHOD y cais. Y prif reswm am hyn yw y broblem ffosffad (phosphate) yn yr Afon Dyfrdwy. Nid yng ngyffiniau Y Bala, ond ar y rhan o’r afon rhwng Corwen a’r Waun. Y ddadl yw y bydd yr estyniad (yn naturiol) yn denu mwy o bobl i’r ardal i weld a theithio ar y rheilffordd a bydd hyn yn ychwanegu ffosffad i’r afon (drwy garthfosiad ychwanegol). Gan nad oes gan Dŵr Cymru gynllyn sylfaenol i roi offer tynnu ffosffad yn y gwaith trin carthffosiad yn Y Bala, bydd unrhyw ffosffad ychwanegol ddim yn dderbyniol. A felly mae’r cynllyn mewn perygl o gael ei wrthod, ond nid ar reswm sydd ddim i’w wneud efo’r estyniad ei hun.
Does dim llawer allwn ei wneud ynglyn â’r broblem ffosffad. Rydym wedi ceisio gan awgrymu sawl ffordd i leihau yr effaith ond nid yw yr un o’r rhain wedi bod yn dderbyniol. Rydym ar ddeall, gan bod y broblem yma yn effeithio ar bob math o ddatblygiadau trwy Gymru y bydd atebion yn cael eu datblygu yn y flwyddyn neu ddwy nesaf. Felly pe tae y cynllyn yn derbyn caniatad, erbyn i’r estyniad gael ei adeiladu a bod yn barod i’w agor, dyliai’r broblem fod wedi i’w datrys. A gallwn roi cadarnhad neu gytundeb i ddisgwl agor yr estyniad nes ein bod wedi cyrraedd y sefyllfa yma.
Ar y llaw arall os caiff y cynllyn ei wrthod ar y 19eg Ebrill, mae’n debyg y bydd raid i ni gychwyn eto o’r newydd gyda gwariant ychwanegol aruthrol, a cholli’r cyfle i gychwyn ar y gwaith adeiladu am sawl mlynedd eto. Mae wedi cymeryd cryn ymdrech i godi’r arian yn y lle cyntaf, ac mae’n bosib na fyddwn mewn sefyllfa i godi’r arian eto am gais arall. Am y tro, os nad yw’r Pwyllgor Cynllunio yn gallu rhoi caniatad cynllunio, yr opsiwn nesaf fasa iddynt ohirio y penderfyniad yn hytrach na’i wrthod.
Felly, os ydych yn gefnogol o’r cynllyn, cefnogwch ni rwan plîs gan ysgrifennu at Barc Cenedlaethol Eryri trwy’r linc isod i’w annog hwy i ystyried holl fanteision y cais, neu i ohirio eu penderfyniad:
https://planning.snowdonia-npa.gov.uk/swiftlg_snpa/apas/run/wphmakerep.displayURL?ApnID=NP5/53/576
[Mae Cwmni Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Cyf yn gwmni nid er elw, felly nid yw unrhyw gyfrandalwr yn elwa, ond yn hytrach mae’r holl elw yn cael ei fyddsoddi yn ôl yn y rheilffordd a thrwy gyflogi pobl lleol. Trwy agor yr estyniad bydd y rheilffordd yn creu swyddi ychwanegol yn Y Bala i bobl lleol]
We are appealing in particular to the people of Bala, Llangywer, Llanuwchllyn and the area for your help. But also to anyone else who sympathises with our position.
The Bala Lake Railway has spent over 10 years and over £1.4million developing a plan to extend the railway to Bala.
Why are we doing this? The railway takes visitors and local people from Llanuwchllyn to Bala Penybont which is a little distant from Bala itself. Although some of the visitors then walk into town, many return on the same train and the businesses in the high street don’t benefit. We also take those who catch the train in Penybont away from Bala and therefore fewer are likely to visit the town. We want Bala to benefit as much as possible from by the visitors who come to the area to travel on the trains.
The number of passengers carried by the railway has increased by over 70% since 2014, and this is leading to increased parking problems on the B4403 at Penybont. To try to alleviate this we promote the journeys starting at Llanuwchllyn which then leads to increased traffic through the village.
The purpose of the extension is to get passengers as close as possible to Bala's high street, with the least impact on the environment, so that the shops and eating places in the town can benefit to the full. The station site is right opposite a large car park, which even in the middle of August is three-quarters empty, so there will be plenty of appropriate places for visitors to park. This in turn will solve the parking issue on the B4403 in Penybont and by advertising the journeys starting from Bala instead of Llanuwchllyn will ease the traffic through the village.
As a consequence, for a project of this kind it has unprecedented support, from Liz Saville-Roberts MP, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Gwynedd Council, and Councillors, town and local village councils as well as the people of Bala generally.
The application is about to be decided by Snowdonia National Park’s Planning Committee on the 19th of April. But the Planning Officers are currently recommending REFUSAL to the Committee. The main issue is the level of phosphate in the River Dee. Not in the vicinity of Bala, but on the stretch of the river between Corwen and Chirk. The argument being used is that the extension will (naturally) attract more people to the area to see and travel on the train which in turn will lead to an increase in the phosphate in the Dee (through additional sewage). As Welsh Water does not have substantive plans to add a phosphate removal plant to the Waste water treatment plant in Bala, any additional phosphate is not acceptable. And so the extension is in danger of being refused, but not for reasons to do with the extension itself.
There is not much we can now do about the phosphate problem. We have tried and suggested several ways to reduce the impact but none of these have been acceptable. We understand that, as this problem affects all types of developments throughout Wales, solutions are likely to materialise in the next year or two. So if the plan were to receive permission, by the time the extension is built and ready to open, the problem in all probability will have been resolved. And are happy to give assurances or agree to conditions not to open the extension until an acceptable solution is reached.
On the other hand if the plan is rejected on the 19th April, we will probably have to start all over again with enormous additional expenditure, and lose the opportunity to start on the building work for several more years . It has taken enormous effort to raise the funds in the first place, and we may not be in a position to raise the money all over again for another application. For now, if the Planning Committee is unable to grant planning permission, the next option is for them to postpone the decision rather than reject it outright.
So, if you agree with our plan, please support us now by writing to Snowdonia National Park via the link below to encourage them to consider all the benefits of the application, or otherwise to postpone their decision:
https://planning.snowdonia-npa.gov.uk/swiftlg_snpa/apas/run/wphmakerep.displayURL?ApnID=NP5/53/576
[Cwmni Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid Cyf (Bala Lake Railway) is a not for profit company, so no shareholder benefits, but instead all profits are invested back into the railway and by employing local people. By opening the extension the railway will create additional jobs in Bala for local people]