Five parcels of land have been secured by Carmarthenshire Council for a new cycle path linking Llandeilo with Carmarthen, and agreement has been reached for a further six. The authority has nurtured plans for the 16-mile leisure and commuting path for years but its construction has been hampered by a lack of funding and the Covid pandemic.
Things appear to be back on track following the award of a £16.7 million Levelling Up Fund grant a year-and-a-half ago, and the council's planning application for a 12-mile stretch between White Mill and Ffairfach, near Llandeilo, is due to be determined this week. But land needs to be acquired and negotiations with landowners - some of whom may not wish to sell - have been taking place for some time.
The council has initiated compulsory purchase order (CPO) procedures - a means whereby land can be acquired without the consent of the owner - in tandem with negotiations. Cllr Edward Thomas told a cabinet meeting that the authority was complying with CPO guidelines, and that initiating the CPO process seemed the sensible approach because it couldn't wait for negotiations to break down before doing so. "Valuable time will be lost," he said. You can get more Carmarthenshire news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
