by

Green GEN Cymru Vyrnwy Frankton Project

Statutory consultation under section 42 of the Planning Act 2008 and the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedures) Regulations 2009 (the APFP Regulations) 
Notification under Regulation 13 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 (the EIA Regulations)
GREEN GENERATION ENERGY NETWORKS CYMRU LIMITED (Green GEN Cymru) will launch a statutory consultation in accordance with sections 42, 47 and 48 of the Planning Act 2008 (the Act) for its Vyrnwy Frankton connection (the “Project”) from 19 February to 16 April 2025.
Green GEN Cymru proposes to develop a new 132 kilovolt (kV) electricity distribution connection from a collector substation near Cefn Coch in Powys to the national electricity transmission network near Lower Frankton in Shropshire. The connection would connect new renewable energy generation in Powys to the national electricity network for supply to homes and businesses.
The Project comprises:
· A new 132 kV collector substation near Cefn Coch, Powys, known as the Grug y Mynydd substation
· Approximately 4.8km of underground cable from Grug y Mynydd substation through the proposed Llyn Lort Energy Park to a cable sealing end compound at Cors y Carreg
·The Cors y Carreg cable sealing end compound would enable the transition between underground cables and overhead conductors
· Approximately 45km of new overhead line supported on L7(c) steel lattice pylons (average height of 28.5m) from Cors y Carreg sealing end compound through the Vyrnwy Valley to a new switching station
·A switching station near Lower Frankton, Shropshire which allows the power to be isolated from a new substation being developed by National Grid to connect to the existing 400 kV national electricity transmission system
·Land which will be required for environmental mitigation, compensation, and enhancement measures
As well as the permanent infrastructure, land would also be required temporarily for construction activities including, for example, working areas for construction equipment and machinery, site offices, welfare, storage and construction access.
Third party utilities diversions and/or modifications would also be required as part of the construction of the Project.
The project is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) under the Planning Act 2008. Green GEN Cymru is therefore required to submit an application for development consent to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. The development consent application will seek consent to construct, operate and maintain the Project, as well as powers for the compulsory acquisition of land and interests in and rights over land, over-riding easements and other rights, the temporary use of land, and other ancillary powers.
Statutory consultation
We are contacting you because you are a prescribed consultee under section 42(1) of the Act and in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009. This is therefore a formal notice that we are holding a statutory consultation under the Act.
Concurrent with the section 42 consultation, we are undertaking consultation with the public pursuant to section 47 and in accordance with a Statement of Community Consultation, notice of the publication of which has been published in local newspapers.  The proposed application for the Project has also been publicised in local and national newspapers under section 48 of the Act.
We are also consulting on the potential environmental effects of the proposals. This information is detailed in the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) available on the project website. An Environmental Statement will be produced subsequently in accordance with the EIA Regulations and will accompany the application for development consent.
The Vyrnwy Frankton connection is an “EIA development” for the purposes of the EIA Regulations. Regulation 13 requires Green GEN Cymru to send your organisation a copy of the notice which is being published in accordance with Section 48 of the Act, as enclosed.
Responding to the consultation
The consultation is open from 19 February to 16 April 2025.
Responses to this consultation can be submitted in the following ways:
· Online feedback form at www.greengenvyrnwyfrankton.com
· Hard copy feedback form (available on request)
· In writing to info@greengencymruvyrnwyfrankton.com or FREEPOST Green GEN Cymru V2F (no further stamp or address needed)
All responses to the consultation must be received by 23:59 on 16 April 2025.
All documents, plans and maps showing the nature and location of the proposed development, including the preliminary environmental information report, will be available to download free of charge from 19 February to 16 April on www.greengenvyrnwyfrankton.com.
Reference hard copies of these documents will also be available at community events taking place at the locations below.
– West Felton Village Hall
Holyhead Road, West Felton, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 4EH, 27 February, 14:00 – 19:00
– Hordley & Bagley Village Hall
Lower Hordley, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 9BQ, 28 February, 14:00 – 19:00
– Llanymynech Village Hall
Station Road, Llanymynech, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY22 6EE, 1 March, 10:00 – 15:00
– Llanfair Caereinion Public Hall and Institute
Bridge Street, Llanfair Caereinion, Welshpool, SY21 0RY, 6 March, 14:00 – 19:00
– Llansantffraid Community Centre
Treflan, Llansantffraid-Ym-Mechain, SY22 6AE, 7 March, 14:00 – 19:00
– Meifod Village Hall Community Centre
Meifod, SY22 6DF, 8 March, 10:00 – 15:00
Requests for paper copies of the documents, plans and maps will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To cover printing costs, a reasonable copying charge may apply, to be paid for by the recipient up-to a maximum value of £500 for the whole suite of consultation documents. These can be requested by contacting the Project team via the details below.
Telephone: 0800 915 3590
We will review our proposals in light of the feedback we receive as part of this consultation and will consider if changes are needed to further reduce the effects on communities and the local area, before we make our application for development consent.
Green GEN Cymru may be required to make copies of representations available to the Secretary of State. However, Green GEN Cymru will request that personal details are not placed on the public record. Personal details will be held securely in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and will be used solely in connection with the consultation process and the development of this Project and, except as noted above, will not be disclosed to any third parties.
by

New household recycling centres booking system

A new booking system for people wishing to visit Shropshire Council’s five household recycling centres comes into effect on Monday, 4 November – with people able to make a booking from Tuesday, 29 October.

Please see below information about the booking system:

  1. Bookings can be made by residents in the Shropshire Council and Telford & Wrekin Council areas
  2. Bookings can be made online or by phone, with online bookings encouraged.
  3. To book online – and for more information – people will be encouraged to visit the council website – see Household recycling centre bookings | Shropshire Council

The address for this page is www.shropshire.gov.uk/recyclingcentrebooking .

From Tuesday (29 October) the site will include links to the booking system websites – there will be two booking sites: one for cars and one for vans/trailers.

4. On the webpage you will find lots of questions answers about the booking system, which we hope will help to answer any questions you may have. Questions are broken down into three categories. See links below:

Why are we doing this? | Shropshire Council

How to book | Shropshire Council

At the recycling centre | Shropshire Council

A video showing what to expect when you arrive at the recycling centre can also be seen on the website at- At the recycling centre | Shropshire Council

by

Shropshire Council Local Nature Recovery Strategy Survey

Shared from Shropshire Council’s Website:

A local nature recovery strategy (LNRS) is being developed by a partnership of local organisations who want to work with you to make it a success.

The LNRS is a plan to make our natural environment healthier and more beautiful for people and wildlife. It will help us to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, and to improve our health, wellbeing and economy.

But we can’t do it without your help. We need your input and support to make the LNRS a reality. Whether you own or manage land, run a business, work in the public sector, or just care about nature, you have a role to play in helping nature recover and we’d like to hear your views.

We’ve created three surveys to gather your feedback, one for landowners and land managers one for Town and Parish councils and another for the general public. Please choose the one relevant to you to have your say.

Background

Shropshire Council has been asked by the government to lead on the production of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin, with the support of Natural England and Telford & Wrekin Council. Our local strategy is one of 48 others being developed across England which will all knit together to cover the whole country as outlined in a Defra video.

We’re working together with partners, landowners, farmers, environmental professionals, community groups, businesses and other stakeholders to develop a LNRS which will show where our most valuable areas for nature currently are, and explore the opportunities to restore, enhance, create and link wildlife throughout the area.

Our LNRS will provide the overarching plan of priorities to restore nature in our area and where this is best to happen, whilst also delivering wider environmental benefits such as better water quality and resilience to flooding. Organisations and individuals can then use the strategy to help deliver the overall plan in a coherent and collaborative way.

More information can be found in our FAQs.

Register your interest

For the Local Nature Recovery Strategy to be effective it needs to be owned by those who live and work in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

The process of developing the strategy is just as important as the strategy itself. There will be broad engagement with interested stakeholders during the strategy development process. Without effective engagement, particularly from those who own and manage land, the impact of the strategy would be significantly limited.

There will be opportunities for interested individuals and organisation to engage at various stages through the process, which will be widely publicised.

If you’d like to know more, get involved or be added to the mailing list email L.Parker@shropshire.gov.uk.

Timeline

  • Spring 2024 – initial mapping and awareness raising
  • Summer 2024 – surveys
  • Autumn 2024 – focused engagement events
  • Winter 2024/25 – public consultation
  • Summer 2025 – adopted strategy

Steering group

The steering group exists to support and guide the development of the LNRS. Members are:

  • Shropshire Council (the responsible authority)
  • Natural England (supporting authority)
  • Telford and Wrekin Council (supporting authority)
  • Country Land and Business Association
  • Environment Agency
  • Forestry Commission
  • National Farmers Union
  • Shropshire Hills National Landscape
  • Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Funding

There is funding to develop the LNRS, but currently not an additional funding stream to implement the strategy. We’re looking to work with partners interested in taking action, and may be able to help direct people to relevant funding sources.

The LNRS will help to direct government funding streams, including for farmers and landowners, as well as feeding into local plan development and informing where biodiversity net gain would be best placed.

Biodiversity net gain is a new requirement for most planning applications to ensure habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development.

The best source of funds for landowners / managers is via agri-environment schemes. The Gov.UK website has a wealth of information about the grants that are currently available.

For farmers and landowners in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape, have a look at the Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund to see if your plans could be eligible for funding.

The Wildlife Trust’s Nextdoor Nature Hub is also a useful source of funds for those interested in carrying out activities with a focus on nature.

by

Thank you

A huge thank you to the local businesses and organisation who have made the purchase and installation of the new noticeboards in Llanyblodwel Parish possible.

Bryn Melyn – Donation from STAR Housing

Dolgoch – Donation from Llynclys Aggregates

Porthywaen – Donation from Llynclys Aggregates

Llanyblodwel – Donation from Lloyds Animal Feeds

STAR Housing also supplied 50% of the funding for the new Bench in Bryn Melyn, with the other 50% being raised by the Llanyblodwel Community Fund.

All Noticeboards and the Bench at Bryn Melyn have very kindly been installed by Evans Construction, Oswestry Free of Charge.

 

by

Freedom Fibre: proposed telegraph poles (Llanyblodwel)

Information from Freedom Fibre

As you may be aware, Freedom Fibre is rolling out its lightning-fast, full-fibre broadband network to homes and businesses in North Shropshire.

Whilst we are largely able to make use of the existing network of telegraph poles and underground ducting, it is sometimes necessary to install new essential infrastructure to ensure no community is left behind.

Under existing planning rules, masts and poles less than 15 metres high can be installed without being subject to planning consent except those listed under Article 1 (5) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. The obligation for telecoms companies like ours is to display a ‘Regulation 5’ notice detailing the proposed telegraph poles on nearby street furniture (such as lighting columns) 28 days before their planned installation.

That said, we are keen to proactively engage with residents and community leaders as much as possible. To that end, please find attached a list of proposed new telegraph poles which will be installed in the coming months. Please note that this list is subject to change (the locations will likely be vague – please see the latitude and longitude for specific locations).

Llanyblodwel poles

In line with our statutory obligations, we will display official notices detailing the proposed telegraph poles on nearby street furniture (such as lighting columns) 28 days before their planned installation. Residents with questions or queries are encouraged to visit www.freedomfibre.com/faq-poles

by

Garden Waste Consultation

From 9 April to 20 May Shropshire Council is carrying out a six-week consultation on proposals to introduce an annual subscription fee of £52 for the collection of garden waste – and about the future operation of the council’s five household recycling centres.

Like councils all over the country Shropshire Council is facing unprecedented financial pressure, mainly due to growing demand for social care – and we must make £62m of savings in 2024/25.

We’re proposing to charge for green waste collections as we must look at other ways of creating income so that we can protect essential frontline services for those residents most in need.

While garden waste collections in Shropshire are currently free, 80% of English councils already charge for this service and many have been doing so for several years.

As part of the consultation, we’re also asking how we can reduce the cost of running our five household recycling centres.

We’re asking if people would be willing to pay more than £52 a year if the additional money was used to keep all five of our household recycling centres open, and for views on whether the opening times of some HRCs could be reduced.

The consultation also asks for people’s thoughts about a new permit/booking system for people visiting a recycling centre to ensure that these are only used by people from Shropshire.

www.shropshire.gov.uk/gardenwastebudget2024

 

by

NOTICE OF PUBLIC RIGHTS AND PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY RETURN

NOTICE
1. Date of announcement: 12th May 20242.

2. Each year the smaller authority prepares an Annual Governance and Accountability Return (AGAR).  The AGAR has been published with this notice. It will not be reviewed by the appointed auditor, since the smaller authority has certified itself as exempt from the appointed auditor’s review.

Any person interested has the right to inspect and make copies of the AGAR, the accounting records for the financial year to which it relates and all books, deeds, contracts, bills, vouchers, receipts and other documents relating to those records must be made available for inspection by any person interested. For the year ended 31 March 2024, these documents will be available on reasonable notice by application to:

 

(b)   Amy Jones, Parish Clerk and RFO –

01691 829571 / llanyblodwelpc@gmail.com

 

 

commencing on (c) __Monday 3 June 2024 _______________________

 

 

and ending on (d) ___Friday 12 July 2024 ________________________

 

3. Local government electors and their representatives also have:

 

·       The opportunity to question the appointed auditor about the accounting records; and

·       The right to make an objection which concerns a matter in respect of which the appointed auditor could either make a public interest report or apply to the court for a declaration that an item of account is unlawful. Written notice of an objection must first be given to the auditor and a copy sent to the smaller authority.

 

The appointed auditor can be contacted at the address in paragraph 4 below for this purpose between the above dates only.

 

4. The smaller authority’s AGAR is only subject to review by the appointed auditor if questions or objections raised under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 lead to the involvement of the auditor.  The appointed auditor is:

 

PKF Littlejohn LLP (Ref: SBA Team)

15 Westferry Circus

Canary Wharf

London E14 4HD

(sba@pkf-l.com)

 

5. This announcement is made by (e) Amy Jones – Parish Clerk and RFO
by

Consultation launched into future of School Library Service

Shropshire Council has now launched a consultation into the future of the School Library Service, with schools and members of the public invited to share their thoughts. 

In Shropshire, the School Library Service (SLS) operates as a traded service, which schools can buy into, and around 65% of schools in Shropshire choose to do so.   

Schools that subscribe to the service can borrow books and artefacts relating to school topics and receive training for staff and pupil librarians.  Schools can use the service to supplement their own stocks of books and resources.   

Schools receive funding provided directly through central Government grants to ensure children and young people have access to books and other suitable education materials necessary to support the curriculum. SLS does not sell books to schools, and schools run their own libraries independently. 35% of Shropshire schools choose not to use the service, using alternatives already. 

The service has been operating at a loss for the last two financial years and the council cannot continue to fund any future deficits by SLS.  Any future service, if retained, would require more schools to subscribe to the service and to pay more.  

Like many other councils, we face a very challenging financial position and must find £62m of savings this year. This is due to ever rising demand for social care, which now accounts for almost £4 in every £5 the council spends, and rising costs from continuing high levels of inflation. 

This means we now have some very difficult decisions to make, including reducing some services, particularly non-statutory ones. In some cases, this means stopping services altogether. SLS is one such service that councils do not have to provide by law and which many other councils have already stopped operating.

The scale of the financial challenge the council faces means there will be many decisions that we have never wanted to make, so that we can continue to prioritise statutory services that support the most vulnerable people.

As part of the council’s savings plans, we propose to stop the SLS from the autumn if no other solution can be found.

We have invited schools to respond to a consultation to capture ideas, including whether they would be willing to pay more for the service, or start using the service if they don’t already, to make it financially viable for the future.  

Families and the public are also able to respond to a survey to share their thoughts on the plans. All possible options to continue the service will be explored and we welcome all suggestions.

Members of the public can share their feedback here: https://www.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/school-library-service/ 

Consultation closes on 7 June 2024. 

by

A483 Mile End to Upper Sweeney drainage work

INFORMATION FROM NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

We’ll be carrying out surveys to the drains to determine their current condition, along with low level maintenance work. This will ensure the drains are working as designed or help us to identify areas that are in need of repair.

We’ll work overnight, between 8pm and 6am, 25 March 2024 to 10 May 2024, Monday to Friday. Our work will be carried out as follows:

25 March to 27 March and 2 April to 5 April – Temporary traffic lights on the A483 between Mile End roundabout and the B5069.

8 April to 19 April – Full closures of the A483, in both directions, between Mile End roundabout and the A495/B4396/A483 junction.

22 April to 10 May – Temporary traffic lights on the A483 between Mile End roundabout and the B5069.

During closures we’ll install a fully signed diversion route via the A483, the A458 and the A5.

Access for emergency services will be maintained throughout.

We’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on the local community and travelling public is kept to a minimum. We always aim to work to the programme, however unforeseen circumstances or adverse weather conditions may mean changes.

I’d like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption to those living close to the work. We’ll make every effort to carefully manage noise levels and additional lighting to minimise the impact.

Further Information

If you’d like to be kept up to date with future work along the A483, please subscribe to our mailing list by emailing noreplyA483WMids@nationalhighways.co.uk.

If you have any questions, or if you would like to know more about our work, please call us on 0300 123 5000 or email info@nationalhighways.co.uk.

You can also visit our website at nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/ or write to us at National Highways, National Traffic Operations Centre, 3 Ridgeway, Quinton Business Park, Birmingham, B32 1AF. Please leave your feedback by completing our online survey, just scan the QR code below.