Stradey Park Part Two Kicks Off
I can understand the concerns of the locals living around Stradey Park over the proposed development of a huge housing estate to be built in their back gardens.
I can understand the concerns of the locals living around Stradey Park over the proposed development of a huge housing estate to be built in their back gardens. We have all heard the arguments about access and floodplains etc, but the issues had been decided by an independent inspector, no matter how ‘controversial’ the conclusion may be.
Historically, the land was gifted to Llanelli RFC by an ancestor of Sir David Mansel-Lewis of the Stradey Estate. Sir David argues that it was a gift for the people of Llanelli and not for a company to profit off. However this may seem, Llanelli RFC have no legal obligation to retain the land for the use of sport or for the general public.
The Village Green application is justified to an extent. Clearly the land has continually been used by the locals for sports or walking their dog until recently. But now after losing the planning appeal it just seem like the last desperate plea from the Stradey residents association. I could go as far as to call it land grabbing.
On the other hand, Llanelli RFC have done very little to justify selling the land essentially to line the pockets of executives and investors. The board of the club has not done any good by branding long-time supporters as ‘NIMBY’s’. And of course, none of this would be possible without the subsidy of the County Council in regards to offering the club land for a ridiculously cheap price. This issue is turning into a real nuisance and will probably result in a huge mess rather than an iconic stadium.