Fears Gwynedd village shop could fold in roadside road row
A village shopkeeper fears having to shut her store with job losses after council chiefs ordered her to remove a roadside advertising sign.
The Londis store and garage are the hub of the village of Clynnog Fawr, which has 1,000 inhabitants, and which had a new £20.2m bypass for the A499 in 2013.
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It is located between Caernarfon and Pwllheli.
St Beuno’s Church was a resting point for Saints on their way to Ynys Enlli (Bardsey) Gwynedd The store is run as a community enterprise and has an advertising sign pointing motorists towards the shop.
Christine Beavis, who runs the store said: “I have had a Londis sign there since I have been here for seven years with no bother at all.
“An officer from Gwynedd Council came over this week and said they had a complaint about the sign.
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“He said that I had seven days from Tuesday to remove the sign or else they would remove it. But it has been there since 2010.”
Christine said: “We are a local community shop. My staff are all volunteers and giving their time as first responders for the Welsh Ambulance Service. We do it for the benefit of the community.”
She said the sign was placed at the side of the road with the permission of Gwynedd Council and she warned that removing it could seriously harm her trade.
Christine said: “If I do not get the trade that I need for the summer, my shop may suffer and if I suffer then my shop will have to close.”
Local Clynnog and Gwynedd Cllr Owain Williams has fought hard to try and keep the shop in the village.
Cllr Williams said: “The shop almost closed because of the bypass. The tenant was in tears after being told by the council officer to remove the sign. Small businesses are already struggling while the council claims that it is supporting them. We are looking at up to seven people losing their jobs.”
A Gwynedd Council spokesman said: “A complaint was made to the council’s transportation service regarding a sign on the public highway at Clynnog Fawr.
“An officer from the council visited the site and saw that the sign had been positioned contrary to current legislation. Consequently, the officer asked the owners to remove it.”
