Park resorts to legal action over roundhouse demolition (From Western Telegraph)

Park resorts to legal action over roundhouse demolition

Pembrokeshire National Park is to take legal action to demolish the Brithdir Mawr roundhouse in Newport despite one senior AM describing the move as 'contrary to natural justice'.

Occupants Tony Wrench and Jane Faith must demolish the grass-roofed building, which does not have planning permission, by this Saturday, after an Assembly inspector declared it had 'a harmful effect' on the area's natural beauty, last September.

The controversial one-room, wood-walled building, built five years ago at a cost of £3,000, has been at the centre of a planning storm since it was spotted by a survey plane in the foothills of Mount Carningli in 1998.

Cynog Dafis, AM for Mid and West Wales, has said a new report from the Countryside Council for Wales on low impact living means the authorities should resist demolition plans.

Mr Dafis said: "I have not seen the report, but I am reliably informed that the roundhouse and its inhabitants are recognised as having a very light ecological footprint and therefore are an example of sustainable development.

"It would be absurd for such an example to be destroyed in a country whose Assembly has a statutory duty to promote sustainable development."

Mr Dafis has now called on Environment Minister Sue Essex to publish the report.

Mr Wrench, aged 55, said: "It's our home and I don't have another one. I would defy anyone to say what damage we have caused."

A National Park spokesman said an Enforcement Notice had been imposed on September 15th, the deadline for which is this Saturday. "Failure to comply means that legal action will now have to be considered by the authority."