Coast Path

Fiasco of Penarth Headland Link

In the Cardiff Bay Development corporation settlement, the Vale of Glamorgan Council was given responsibility for constructing a footway/ctckeway link from the Barrage to Penarth Esplanade. Alun Michael as Welsh Secretary was keen on the link, allocated a generous cash sum (£7.5million) and continued as MP to voice strong support.

In 2007, the Welsh government cancelled the £7.5million grant and reclaimed sums paid after pressure from Barry & Vale FoE (see letters below). We pointed out

# the VoG project failed to include coastal protection, which was part of the case for increasing the first estimate of £3M to the agreed £7.5M.

# The Council has claimed money from the grant for demolishing the old multi-storey carpark, which was in poor repair and due for demolition anyway.

# the scheme was treated as a gravy train, with highly paid consultants encouraging the fancy design on the basis of financial estimates that turned out badly wrong

# WAG officials’ advice of August 2004 had recommended terminating the grant and clawing back that already paid, in accordance with the Financial Assistance Agreement.

Unfinished business:  Once the grant was cancelled, responsibility returned to the WAG for constructing the walk/cycleway as required by the Cardiff Bay Barrage Act. But the Minister responsible, Ieuan Wyn Jones failed to take any action at that time.

FoE Letter to Rhodri Morgan, First Minister, 18 July 2007

PENARTH HEADLAND LINK

We wrote to you on 16 July about this matter but still await a reply. You do not need to await formal notification that the Vale of Glamorgan Council has cancelled this scheme because they have failed to meet the required ‘milestones’. The Council is at fault for pursuing a highly costly “iconic” tourist project, instead of the basic pedestrian/cycleway in the Cardiff Barrage Act.

Last September, we asked Andrew Davies as responsible Minister to activate the conditions of the £7.5M grant. But he listened instead to the local MP and stretched the conditions to give the Council time to seek economies. Now that the Council has abandoned the project:

1. we urge you to cancel the £7.5M grant allocation (and reclaim sums paid), since conditions of the 2005 agreement including “key milestones” have not been met.

2. We point out the project does not meet the original aims, particularly the inclusion of coastal protection that was part of the case for increasing the first estimate of £3M to the agreed £7.5M.

3. The Council has claimed money from the grant for demolishing the old multi-storey carpark, which was in poor repair and due for demolition anyway. Alun Michael MP said at the 15 August special meeting in Penarth that he considered this sum should be excluded.

4. The scheme was treated as a gravy train, with highly paid consultants encouraging the fancy design on the basis of financial estimates that turned out badly wrong, mainly because they had omitted to cost the temporary works including a coffer dam necessary for construction in the tidal zone.

5. Under your 2005 Agreement, on cancellation the Vale Council is liable for incurred expenditure. Only if you enforce that condition can the Council claim for faulty advice from consultants, who led them to expect much lower costs for the fancy scheme. What reasons could you give for not enforcing this liability?

The WAG officials’ advice of August 2004 recommended that you inform the Council you are minded to terminate the grant and claw back that already paid, while inviting them to make any representations that could influence your decision, in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Assistance Agreement. Will you now follow that process and make it public, to conform to maximal openness and transparency policy?

FoE Letter to Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for Transport, 24 Sept. 2007

PENARTH HEADLAND LINK your ref. AT/06910/07 13 Sept. 2007

Mr Colin Squire of your Transport etc. policy team replied to our letter to the first Minister of 16 July, repeated on 18 August. We pointed out that the Vale of Glamorgan Council failed to meet the required ‘milestones’ and were at fault for pursuing a highly costly “iconic” tourist project, instead of the basic pedestrian/cycleway in the Cardiff Barrage Act.

Last September, we asked Andrew Davies as responsible Minister to activate the conditions of the £7.5M grant. But he appear to listen instead to the local MP and stretched the conditions to give the Council time to seek economies. That decision-making was not open and transparent as WAG so commonly promises.

Mr Squire’s reply to us of 13 Sept. did not accept any of our points, nor did he promise you would take them into account in coming to a decision on the next steps. We infer that the procedure adopted this time may be no better than that of Andrew Davies.

Our letter of 18 August recalled the WAG officials’ advice of August 2004 that the Council be informed you are minded to terminate the grant and claw back that already paid, while inviting them to make any representations that could influence your decision, in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Assistance Agreement. Will you now follow that process and make it public, to conform to maximal openness and transparency policy?

In the meantime, please supply us with copies of correspondence and e-mails between your office and the Vale of Glamorgan Council on the matter, commencing with the notification from the Council Leader that the VoG Council is not proceeding with the project. We would prefer to receive this information in electronic form, by e-mail.