First step to improve Lake Vyrnwy visitor experience is approved

A planning application was lodged to build an outdoor activity and events shelter at Lake Vyrnwy Sculpture Park, near Oswestry.

It will measure 6.3 metres in length, six metres in width, and be approximately 3.7 metres high at the ridge.

The proposed shelter will be finished using tree trunk vertical supports and oak roof beams with a gravel surface.

Further applications dependent on grant funding are expected to follow as part of a wider project, called the 'Lake Vyrnwy Experience'.

Powys County Council planning officer Rhys Evans said: “It is considered the proposed development has been located in a suitable location and would be in keeping with its immediate surroundings.

“The proposal is not considered to cause any detrimental impact upon the conservation area.

Landscaping

“The proposed development complies with relevant planning policy and the recommendation is one of conditional consent.”

The RSPB, which jointly manages the estate around the lake with water company Hafren Dyfrdwy, has commissioned Chester-based Headland Design to come up with the Lake Vyrnwy Experience.

This could see works to car parks, landscaping, pathways and a visitor centre built as part of a wider project to interpret the history of the area and the conservation work taking place.

It is also subject to an application for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and would need separate planning applications.

In a design and access statement, Heritage Design said: “The aim of the project is to improve the visitor experience, the ability to deliver activities and solve existing issues around the management of visitors around the site which are problematic during busy periods.”

History of Lake Vyrnwy

• The Vyrnwy Dam was built between 1881 and 1890 and was the first large masonry dam in the UK.

• At the time of its completion the reservoir was the largest in Europe and provided water for Liverpool via a 110km aqueduct. It was opened in 1892.

• The old village of Llanwddyn was flooded following the construction of the dam.

• The parish church, two chapels, three inns, 10 farmhouses, and 37 houses were all lost under the waters.

• A new settlement for the people who lost their homes was built lower down the valley by the Liverpool Corporation before the flooding took place.

• Eventually it is hoped that a chapel in Llanwddyn will be renovated to become a visitor centre, exploring the history of building of the dam, the village itself, and the importance of blanket bogs and a water conservation messages.

• An RSPB shop would also be part of it.