In accordance with the Notice of Motion received
under Section 4.20 of the Constitution, Councillor Glyn Daniels will propose as
follows:-
“I propose that Gwynedd
Council, in collaboration with Snowdonia National Park, urgently investigates
the possibility of charging tourists who visit parts of the Park, particularly
on and around Snowdon itself.
I believe this would be
advantageous in more than one way.
Decision:
That
Gwynedd Council, in collaboration with Snowdonia National Park, urgently
investigates the possibility of charging tourists who visit parts of the Park,
particularly on and around Snowdon itself.
Minutes:
Submitted – the following notice of motion by Councillor Glyn Daniels, in
accordance with Section 4.20 of the Constitution and it was seconded:
That Gwynedd Council, in collaboration with
Snowdonia National Park, urgently investigates the possibility of charging
tourists who visit parts of the Park, particularly on and around Snowdon
itself.
I
believe this would be advantageous in more than one way:
a)
Charging a considerable fee for visiting the summit of Snowdon could boost the
coffers of Gwynedd Council and the Park at a time when we are facing financial
uncertainty owing to the side-effects of Covid-19.
b)
Consequently, there is room to believe that such steps could contribute to
reducing the serious problems of excess cars causing traffic jams and hazards
on the region's roads.
During the discussion on the motion, it was noted:
·
It was agreed that a discussion
was required with the National Park, but there was a need to be clearer in
terms of what was meant by a 'considerable fee'.
·
The tourism industry was
important to Gwynedd, but there was a desire to see the county benefiting from
sustainable tourism, with those people visiting the area showing respect to the
local environment and community.
·
The motion was very timely
and it was important to address this urgently, by holding a joint meeting with
the National Park as soon as possible with the aim of having a fee charging
system in operation by the 2021 season.
·
Gwynedd had wonderful
natural assets but communities were not benefiting fully from them at present.
·
It was important to ensure
sufficient parking provision, while giving consideration to creating a network
of car parks in our communities. It was suggested that consideration could be
given to the creation of a park and ride facility in Glyn Rhonwy,
offering a free pass to Llanberis residents.
·
Technology such as Automatic
Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and the Council's new sensor system could be
used to monitor and manage parking in the area. Technology such as an advance
registration system could also be used to visit the Snowdon area, with local
people paying a smaller fee or being granted access for free.
·
This was a problem that had
become apparent across Gwynedd and Snowdon was a classic example of
over-tourism.
·
The Council had received
many calls to respond to the situation, e.g. Llanllyfni
Community Council and others had called on Gwynedd Council to arrange a
conference to discuss this. Although it was difficult in light of the pandemic,
it was intended to arrange a virtual event in due course.
·
It was not legal to charge a
fee to use public footpaths but the call to examine this further was welcomed.
·
A report commissioned by the
National Park on transport around Snowdon mentioned some great ideas, but there
was a need to widen the discussion to include the whole of Gwynedd.
·
A piece of work had been
completed to examine examples of how other areas across this country, and in
Europe, dealt with over-tourism, and to consider how to re-set tourism after
the pandemic crisis in a way that supported the county's communities.
·
It was important for any fee
charging system to be enforced correctly. Should a fee be charged for walking
up Snowdon, a number of questions arose such as where exactly the money would
be collected? In terms of the main routes, turnstiles could be installed and
young people employed to collect the money; however, not everyone followed the
main routes, with some ramblers going cross-country. Another option would be to
collect the money on the summit of Snowdon.
·
The money collected could be
used to create jobs locally.
·
A cost was associated with tourism,
such as the cost of clearing up litter after the visitors. The Council was
required to provide these services but, ultimately, Gwynedd residents paid for
them. Also, as the Sherpa service was subsidised, Gwynedd taxpayers were
currently paying for visitors to go up Snowdon.
·
The research was welcomed
and it was greatly hoped that benefit could be brought to our residents and
local environment from this.
RESOLVED to adopt
the motion, namely:
That Gwynedd Council, in collaboration with
Snowdonia National Park, urgently investigates the possibility of charging
tourists who visit parts of the Park, particularly on and around Snowdon
itself.