Snowdonia: Llanberis Electric Mountain demolition on hold

Dinorwig hydro-electric power station was constructed in the abandoned Dinorwig slate quarry

A controversial decision whether to demolish an old power station visitor centre has been postponed.

Covid restrictions led to an increase in visitors to Snowdonia over the past two summers, causing car parks to overflow.

Despite criticism, Gwynedd officials recommended razing the derelict Electric Mountain building to create 110 parking spaces near Llyn Padarn.

On Monday a decision was postponed to allow more talks to take place.

Councillor Kim Jones told Gwynedd council's planning meeting the community felt it had not been given enough time to find alternative uses for the site.

"Demolishing the Electric Mountain building and forming a car park will not solve the parking issue," she said. "We need to save this building for the benefit of the community as I feel it was probably an easy option for them to take it down."

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Ms Jones said there had also been an approach from an events company, interested in using the space.

"It's such a large building I'm sure it can be a multipurpose functioning building."

The council planning committee unanimously agreed to postpone any decision until 5 September, to allow further discussions to take place.

The plan to bulldoze the derelict Electric Mountain building to build a car park has been criticised

The Electric Mountain visitor centre ran tours of Dinorwig power station but has been closed for more than three years.

Engie UK, the parent company of First Hydro, which runs the site, said work on the power station meant no visits would be possible for "several years".

The company said the centre was no longer economically viable, and was losing £100,000 a year before the pandemic.

First Hydro submitted plans to Gwynedd council to turn the site into a car park to "help to address the chronic shortage of car parking in Llanberis, which is particularly acute during the summer period, to the benefit of the local tourism economy and... the village".

The building has been shut for more than three years

It said it intended to "make the proposed car park available for local community events, on an occasional basis, throughout the year".

But residents raised concerns that a site originally earmarked for the community could be put to better use.

"Every time I've asked the question of the council they say that there isn't a parking problem here, only on event days," councillor Kevin Morris Jones said previously.

"So if they turn this site into a car park, it will probably be empty most of the time.

Other residents said they want something which could be used by the whole community.

Kevin Morris Jones fears a car park will be empty most of the time

Engie UK said it recognised the role the Electric Mountain visitor centre played in community life and there was "a strong local desire to see the site developed in such a way that provides benefits to the local area".

"We have been working hand-in-hand with community representatives and local partner organisations to establish a suitable future for the site," it said.