P-05-731 Land & Access Lane Sale at Abercwmboi – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee.

Dear Kayleigh

Thank you for your email. Please find below a copy of the email sent your office on 18 January with attachments. I followed this up with an email to Graeme Francis to confirm I had done this.

My additional comments are that there have been contradictory statements emerging from Ken Skates AC/AM office which have confused the whole situation. In October the Ministers' department confirmed in writing that the land & rear access lane are up for sale (see attachment 1) & they have several interested parties who they are talking to. This despite the land not being posted as available on Space Cymru. It seems a coincidence that after I organise the petition, submit a Freedom of Information Act request, contact Elected Members of RCT & make other enquiries that I & subsequently the Petitions Committee are informed that the land & rear access lane is not for sale, for the moment. I have met with an official of Ken Skate AC/AM office & presented him with some alternative ideas. During this conversation I was very surprised to learn that The Welsh Government is under no obligation to inform or consult with interested parties who are directly affected by their decisions.

Obviously to the lay person the petition process is a little confusing & I trust that the information I have given is sufficient. It is difficult to chose, from a growing file of correspondence what to submit. I would say, though, that despite the information that the land & lane are not currently for sale they will be in the future therefore the essence of the petition that prior consultation should take place with the residents of 1-67 Park View Terrace stands.

Kind Regards

Sue Waterson

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First may I present my apologies for not contacting the committee sooner. I was not aware that you required additional information from me. Thank you for giving me additional time.

The petition resulted from rumours, circulated by a prospective purchaser and fellow Abercwmboi resident, about an impending sale of the land & the rear access lane which I followed up with our AM Vikki Howells. I attach a copy of the letter which she recieved from Skates AM/AC which confirmed this was the case. The prospective purchaser of the land who lives in Abercwmboi had stated publicly that once the land & lane were in their ownership that the land would be fenced to the curb & both ends of the lane would be gated & locked. There are 22 garages & 12 hard standing in gardens which would be inaccessible if this happened. Indeed fencing to the curb alone would not allow sufficient room to pull in or out of garages as the lane is under 4 metres wide. This would devalue properties & make lives difficult for all residents. On road parking issues are identified in attachment 4.The lane is adopted by RCT & is identified on RCTs plan of highways. It is the land beneath the road that will be sold. Assurances that rights of way will be preserved will be of little use after the sale as any disputes will place the onus on us to litigate. The prospective purchaser has a long history of land & boundary disputes. I must emphasise that as a new comer to Abercwmboi that I have no historical axe to grind I just wish to continue to access my garage.

Since submitting the petition there have been contradictory emails & letters from officials. My latest information is that current negotiations re improving the access road to an adjacent industrial estate are taking place & when these have been resolved the land & lane will be placed on the open market. I was dismayed to be told that the Welsh Government are under no obligation to consult with any residents therefore I would request that the petition stand. At a time when openness & transparency are the by words of good governance I cannot understand why those residents who may be materially affected do not have the right to be consulted.

Attachments include Letter from Ken Skates AM/AC, OS map of site, Arial photo of site & my correspondence to Vikki Howells AM secretary in response to Ken Skates letter.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sue Waterson