Dolgellau/ Barmouth Area Regeneration Plan 2007-2013
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Dolgellau/ Barmouth Area Regeneration Plan 2007-2013 (Part of the Gwynedd Regeneration Framework) www.gwynedd.gov.uk Document Content This Area Regeneration Plan contains the following sections: Introduction What is an Area Regeneration Plan? The Dolgellau and Barmouth Area Regeneration Plan Section 1 – Area Profile Introduction Geographical Boundaries Population Mobility and Migration Environmental Features and Designations Deprivation Economy of the Area Economic Activity Housing Health Voluntary Activity Section 2 – Analysis of Local Circumstances Introduction SWOT Analysis Section 3 – Aspirations of the Area Regeneration Vision for the Dolgellau and Barmouth Area Main Aspirations and Impressions of the Community Main Aspirations and Impressions of Voluntary Organisations and Businesses Main Aspirations and Impressions of the Services Section 4 – Thematic and Spatial Priorities Introduction The Thematic Priorities of Dolgellau and Barmouth The Spatial Priorities of Dolgellau and Barmouth Summary Section 5 – Action Areas Introduction Table of Action Areas Section 6 – Implementing the Regeneration Plan Introduction Approving the Regeneration Plan Lead Bodies of the Regeneration Plan Partners of the Regeneration Plan Reviewing the Regeneration Plan 1 Introduction What is an Area Regeneration Plan? The Gwynedd Regeneration Strategy sets out the context and a clear direction for all of the county’s regeneration activities, with its unique patchwork of communities from 2007 – 2013. The Area Regeneration Plans are operational documents that implement the Regeneration Strategy. The areas are based on the definitions of the Unitary Development Plan, which are based on dependence districts. Gwynedd Regeneration Strategy 2007-2013 Porth - Caernar - Dolgellau / Tywyn / Ll yˆn Area Bala Area Ffestiniog Bangor madog fon Area Barmouth Machynl - Regenera - Regenera - Area Re - Area Re - Area Re - Regenera - Area Re - leth Area tion tion generation generation generation tion generation Regenera - Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme Scheme tion Dolgellau and Barmouth Area Regeneration Plan This Area Plan was formed by consulting with stakeholders in the area, including local residents, agencies that work in the area and organisations that serve the area. The Area Plan has taken into account other strategies that influence and contribute to the regeneration field, including local strategies for the Dolgellau and Barmouth area. Stakeholders were consulted through participatory methods such as public meetings, focus groups, questionnaires and other techniques. By means of these consultations, a comprehensive picture was compiled of the nature and scale of the challenge facing the area’s communities, along with drawing up measures to respond to them. We wish to thank the stakeholders who were part of the consultation process. This Regeneration Plan identifies the main measures and projects for the regeneration field in the Dolgellau and Barmouth area for 2007 – 2013. The projects are intended to give a direction to all regeneration activities and efforts undertaken by all who have partnered the Plan, namely voluntary agencies, public organisations, private businesses and/or community groups. The regeneration projects for the area are intentionally broad in order to ensure that there is flexibility within the Regeneration Plan to respond to, and take advantage of, any challenge faced during the period in question. 2 SECTION 1 Area Profile Introduction The area of Dolgellau and Barmouth lies in South Gwynedd. It is an area renowned for its coast, its beaches, its mountains, its glorious views, its tourism, its buildings and its history. Geographical Boundaries The Dolgellau and Barmouth Area Regeneration Plan focuses on the catchment area that encompasses the western boundary of the wards of Llanbedr, Dyffryn Ardudwy and Barmouth, to the far end of Mawddwy ward in the east; the northern boundaries of Llanbedr, Ganllwyd, Brithdir and Llanfachreth and Mawddwy, and the southern boundaries of Arthog, Dolgellau, Brithdir and Llanfachreth and Mawddwy. The area therefore includes seven wards, and the catchment areas of nine community and town councils. The boundaries of this Regeneration Area correspond to the boundaries found in the Unitary Development Plan. Population According to the 2001 Census, the Dolgellau and Barmouth area had a population of 9,200 with the largest percentage of the population, 55.66%, in the 20-64 age group, and the minority of the population, 5.19%, in the 0-4 age group. 22.45% of the population are 65 years old and over. The population of Dolgellau and Barmouth represents approximately 8% of the population of the whole county. 3 In 2001, 52% of the population were men, and 48% were women, in contrast to the pattern for the county. According to the Census, 58% of the population of Dolgellau and Barmouth have been born in Wales, but more typically is that nearly 58% of the population speak Welsh, compared to the national average of 20.4%. Mobility and Migration Dolgellau is the area’s main town and centre, where a number of mainstream services are located. Within the area, the wards of Barmouth, South Dolgellau, Dyffryn Ardudwy and Brithdir/Llanfachreth/Ganllwyd/Llanelltyd are the most populated, and the wards of Corris/Mawddwy, North Dolgellau and Llanbedr are the least populated. The car ownership figures of the 2001 Census show that movement within and outside the area is dependent on private cars. 56% of those who work travel to work by car, which is slightly lower than the average for Gwynedd. The Census also notes that only 22% of Dolgellau and Barmouth households do not own a car, which is lower than the average for Gwynedd (24%) and the Welsh average (26%). People move within, and in and out of the area for numerous reasons, such as retirement, work, family connections and so on. This migration affects the structure of the local population. In 2000, 2.9% of the area’s population moved within the boundaries of Dolgellau/Barmouth. This percentage was considerably lower than the county average of 7.3%. However, from looking at the inward and outward migration patterns for the area, it is obvious that Dolgellau/Barmouth sees a more frequent population turnover than the county average and national average. In the same year, 6.78% of the population had migrated into Dolgellau/Barmouth, and 6.72% had migrated out of Dolgellau/Barmouth, which is an evidently higher turnover than the average for Gwynedd (4% and 3.5% respectively) and Wales (3.5% and 3% respectively). Environmental Features and Designations The area boasts a unique and special landscape, and this is reflected in the number of conservation and environmental designations given to parts of the area. Cadair Idris, Coed Derw and the bat sites of Meirion and Morfa Harlech/Morfa Dyffryn have been designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC); and the whole of Cardigan Bay is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and as a Heritage Coast. There are several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Dolegllau/Barmouth which include the Afon Mawddach (Mawddach river), the Cadair Idris area and parts of the Meirionnydd coast; Cadair Idris has also been designated as a National Nature Reserve (NNR). Fairbourne / Friog and Barmouth beaches are blue flag beaches under the Keep Wales Tidy programme. 4 Most of the Dolgellau/Barmouth area is located within the boundaries of Snowdonia National Park, with Barmouth and Fairbourne / Friog lying outside the boundary. The ‘Future of Snowdonia’ strategy sets out a direction for the National Park's developments over the next fifteen years; its strategic priorities for the coast include protecting the coast from overdevelopment, improving access to the coast and creating green wedges between settlements to prevent them from joining (e.g. along the Ardudwy coast). Their strategic priorities for inland areas include encouraging innovation within agriculture, working to improve biodiversity and planting coppices. A vast number of the buildings in Barmouth town centre have been designated as a conservation area under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Deprivation According to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000 (WIMD), Barmouth ward was designated as the most disadvantaged ward from Dolgellau/Barmouth. Due to its position in the index, this ward was designated a Communities First status. Communities First will evolve into a Communities First programme from 2009/2010 onwards, which will focus more on the work of the local Partnerships. Breaking the deprivation cycle in the areas is a priority within Communities First. According to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2005, the wards of Barmouth 1 and Barmouth 2 are the two wards in Dolgellau/Barmouth which appear highest in the index due to their deprivation. Barmouth 2 has been designated as the 9th most disadvantaged ward in Gwynedd. Barmouth 1 ward is seen most prominently under the index’s Income Zone, as, jointly with Barmouth 2 it appears in the worst/highest 25%. The count of Jobseeker's Allowance claimants (based on income) notes that 2.3% of the working age population of Dolegllau/Barmouth were receiving this allowance in December 2005, which is slightly lower than the average for Gwynedd, which is 2.6%. Within Dolgellau/Barmouth, the highest percentage of claimants was in Barmouth ward (3.7%) and South Dolgellau (3.1%), with the lowest percentage of claimants found in Llanbedr ward (1.4%) and the Brithdir/Llanfachreth/Ganllwyd/Llanelltyd