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[prepared for 1998 renewal of temporary permission]
Application for renewal of temporary planning permission for caravan.
Dear ...
With regard to our application to renew our temporary planning permission at Tir Penrhos Isaf we would be very grateful if you could read the following information. Over the past six years since we first applied for the temporary permission, we have written a great many documents at the request of Park Officers, including our original designs, describing our intentions and targets. We are aware that committee members will not have had the time or opportunity to read all the information that we have provided so we would like to pass on a few points that might help clarify some issues.
Diversification
Our intention has always been to set up a holding which was diversified, as we showed in great detail in the supporting documents we produced for our original application. We still maintain that four or five carefully chosen land based businesses can be linked together to support each other, reducing inputs and increasing the overall productivity of the holding, as well as being beneficial to the environment.
Temporary Permission
All we are asking for at this stage is the renewal of our temporary planning permission for another 3 years. During the last three years our time and work here was severely disrupted by serious illnesses and deaths in our family; Lyn has had cancer which required two operations, treatment and a long recovery period, I lost my mother and Lyn's father died this year after a protracted and difficult illness. We would like the opportunity to demonstrate effectively the potential of the holding. Should we be granted renewal of the temporary permission, the National Park will still retain complete control and no precedent is being set. This would also allow more time for discussion.
Demonstrating viability requires some development
We were originally granted permission in order to prove viability. Obviously, if we were going to show viability we had to invest in the holding and make some developments. The small sheds and livestock units which were necessary to house our stock and equipment are all temporary with no permanent foundations. We have always said that they can be removed if required without leaving a trace. They allowed us to demonstrate simple building techniques to our students and are built out of local materials with local labour so they generated income for the local economy. We have always thought long and carefully before erecting even the smallest shed and positioned everything so as to minimise any visual impact, including screens of trees and other plants.
We have provided information about our targets and intentions
We have always tried to be honest with the Park, the committee and its officers. We have tried to do everything properly, according to the rules. We were involved in lengthy discussions and site visits prior to our first application and submitted a very detailed design. We have met officials regularly over the past 6 years to discuss progress and have always shown officers what we have done and why whenever they have visited. We have produced large numbers of documents at the request of officers explaining in great detail what we have achieved and what our future targets are.
The caravan
When we were successful with our first application for temporary permission for a caravan we had a number of choices. The existing caravan was obviously too small for a family. The definition of a caravan does include two transportable units which can be joined together by a third section but we thought that this would be visually detrimental to the landscape so we added a small timber extension to the existing caravan. The total size of the unit is much less than the maximum permitted and far less visually obvious, blending with the surroundings so as to be almost totally invisible. As mentioned above, there are no permanent foundations and the unit can be dismantled easily if required.
Subsidies and grants
We were originally granted permission in order to prove viability through a combination of produce and education. These are the grounds on which we accepted the permission and this is what we have spent nearly seven years trying to prove, seven years of sustained effort in difficult circumstances. We receive no financial support or grants; everything we have done here has come from our own efforts. Over the last two years we have had to take on some outside work in order to finance investments on the holding. We see this as a temporary measure and are confidant that the holding can provide a sustainable income in the medium to long term.
Round-pen
The round-pen is an important part of the holding. It enables Lyn to train and re-school horses in a very effective way based on her education in the methods of the internationally respected equine trainer Monty Roberts. There has been a big increase in the number of horses kept locally over the last fifteen years and the demand for Lyn's services as an equine trainer is increasing. The pen provides a safe temporary enclosure in which to work with an animal and to educate owners with their own horses. The pen is made up of light mesh panels which can be assembled or taken down in less than half an hour. This has proved a useful and growing source of income to the holding.
At a time when farming is so hard pressed it seems sensible to us that the National Park should allow the opportunity to explore possible solutions. We are committed to the area and our ideals, which we consider reflect some of the real traditional values of agriculture and community. We would ask that you support the application.
Yours sincerely,