A smallholder has been left furious as his local council bids to make a compulsory order of his land to turn it into a cycle path.
Robert Moore, from Towy Valley, said it is the third time his family has faced the loss of land as a result of Carmarthenshire Council. The local authority has made the strip of land close to the Rovery Towy in the White Mill the subject of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) - which allows councils to acquire land without the consent of the owner.
But dismayed Mr Moore has insisted "enough is enough" in his objection to the plans. As reported by Wales Online, the 64-year-old said: "Our land has been taken twice before so that the community benefits while we suffer."
Mr Moore's land was owned by his uncle, who he lived with following the death of his parents when he was young.
A stretch of the land was acquired in 1979 via CPO to facilitate a new section of the A40. He said his uncle lost more land and his house in a CPO five years later to enable a new housing development, and during that period suffered a stroke.
Mr Moore recalled that his uncle was compensated £10,000 and £8,000 for the two CPOs, but claimed he was unable to build a replacement house near his old one because of an unexpected land registration problem. The young Mr Moore went on to live in another uncle's house nearby called Quarry Lodge, where lives to this day with his wife Linda and their two teenage children, Charlie and Maisie.
Mr Moore said he has been offered £15,000 for the use of the strips of land for the Towy Valley Path, and that although he did not wish to sell he had entered negotiations with the council because he was worried about a potential loss of water supply, a shelter, and trees. He has now been served notice of the CPO.
Mr Moore claimed the £15,000 offer hadn't changed despite land values rising since it was put forward, but said the issue wasn't about money. "I feel enough is enough," he said. "It's the principle. The farm has been our family's for generations. We're not rich, and I'm not flush with a massive pension. But I'm quite happy. The land pays the bills. We've got enough the live on. But I want to left alone to make a living."
Mr Moore also questioned the economic benefits put forward in support of the Towy Valley Path and said land on which it was planned was prone to flooding and erosion. He said: "It floods here around five times year, and it's getting worse."
And he was concerned that people using the path could get into difficulty if they went for a swim in the river. "I've saved someone who was struggling in it," said Mr Moore. "He was swimming with his girlfriend. I was on the field and his girlfriend called me over. I got him out."
Local business owner Laura Hubbart, however, said she firmly backed the project. "I think it's great for tourism, especially on the hospitality front," she said. "I think Llandeilo would benefit greatly from it. I think the general consensus from businesses would be they're absolutely for it."
Responding to Mr Moore's concerns, Cllr Edward Thomas, cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, said: "The council has now made and served notice of the compulsory purchase order on all those affected and the time for making representations whether in support or objection has now expired. We await copies of any representations made and we are unable to comment further on negotiations with individual landowners.
"The Twyi Valley shared-use route would provide a unique opportunity to provide communities within Carmarthenshire with a cost-effective and sustainable form of transport to access jobs, services and education. With this comes the real and tangible prospect of securing future well-being benefits. Securing these benefits relies on the compulsory purchase order being successful to deliver the funded scheme for wider public benefit."
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