Prescott off the rails with Welsh decision

26 June 1999

The Deputy Prime Minister's decision to allow a railway to be built along an important path for walkers, disabled people and cyclists has been slammed by National Park conservationists.

"Mr Prescott's decision is off the rails," said Sir Chris Bonington, President of the Council for National Parks. "This development will deny many people the chance to enjoy the Snowdonia National Park in a quiet and sustainable way and will also damage one of Snowdonia's jewels, the Aberglaslyn Pass".

" Developing another leisure railway will lead to more people travelling by car to a new tourist attraction and will spoil the enjoyment of this area for a great many people. It is not a sustainable development. The main beneficiaries will be railway enthusiasts, and even this benefit must be questioned as there are already seven narrow-gauge railways in the Snowdonia National Park".

Following an independent inquiry into the proposed reopening of the railway, an Inspector concluded that the railway should not be reopened because there was no need for a new tourist railway and because of the damage that would be caused to the Snowdonia National Park by such a major civil engineering project.

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