Blow for campaigners trying to defend home of 'Mother of Wales'

Campaigners against plans to put power lines across an historic area that was once home to the so-called ‘Mother of Wales’ have been dealt a major blow.

The High Court has rejected an appeal against proposals to put overhead cables across parts of rural Conwy and Denbighshire , including land near Llannefydd.

The farmhouse there was known to be home of Katheryn of Berain, a powerful Welsh noblewoman from the time of Elizabeth I. She was known as the ‘Mother of Wales’.

There could be up to 18 pylons put up on the land around the cottage.

But the campaigners from group Pylon The Pressure say they will continue their fight despite the court’s ruling that Business Secretary Greg Clark acted lawfully in giving the go-ahead to SPManweb to put in power lines from two windfarms in Clocaenog Forest to a substation at Glascoed, near St Asaph .

John Mars-Jones, who has lived at Berain with his family for the past 24 years, one of the leaders of the Pylon the Pressure group, said that although the High Court ruling was a blow they had still not given up the battle.

And he had argued that the power lines and poles would blight his property and interfere with his farming operations.

He said: “We are seeking a second opinion on some of the points made in the judgement and it could result in out going to appeal.”