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Press Releases
War of words over Scarlets' Stradey plans
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A new war of words has broken out about the future of Llanelli Scarlets, as one
of the club's directors has revealed that they are considering legal action
against the Assembly Government.
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The club has warned that it faces going to the wall, following a decision by the
Welsh Assembly Government to call in its plans to sell the stadium at Stradey
Park Llanelli and develop 450 houses on the site.
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Speaking tonight (Tuesday 3 October 2006) on 91Èȱ¬ Wales' current affairs Programme,
Taro Naw, Ron Jones, a director of Llanelli Scarlets, said the club is
considering legal action as they feel that the Welsh Assembly Government has
acted inappropriately.
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But the Scarlets' claims have been rebutted by Carmarthen County Councillor,
Keith Davies, the county's former Director of Education, who now represents the
Stradey area in Llanelli.
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The Scarlets' arguments are based on financial rather than planning issues, he
says.
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He says there are strong arguments for building a new stadium at Stradey
Park rather than at the proposed new site for the Scarlets at Pemberton, on the
outskirts of Llanelli.
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"I know that Carmarthen County Council have sold half the site at Pemberton for
20 million," says Councillor Keith Davies, "that money is available to the
council. So why doesn't the county council buy Stradey Park and spend the money
there?"
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Local residents in the Stradey Park area are up in arms over plans to build 450
houses on the site.
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They argue that this is in contravention of planning
regulations as the majority of the site is listed as a flood plain by the
Environment Agency.
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Ron Jones, speaking for the Llanelli Scarlets, says the Environment Agency's
latest advice to the county council was that floods could be managed on the site.
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This followed extensive work on the site by the Scarlets' own technical advisors.
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He maintains that the Environment Agency's opposition to the scheme was a
technical one, as the site has been listed a C2 floodplain.
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But in a statement to Taro Naw, the Welsh Assembly Government said: "The Assembly Maps are based on specialist Environment Agency advice. They are
neither wrong nor out of date.
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"The Environment Agency objected to the proposed
development.
It is now for the Scarlets and their advisors to make the case for the
development and set the arguments before a Planning Inspector."
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Taro Naw, Tuesday 3 October 2006, 91Èȱ¬ Wales on S4C, 8.25pm
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91Èȱ¬ Wales Bangor Press Office
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