January 1992

1. CHARITABLE STATUS
Since the Public Meeting, when a steering Committee was appointed, the group Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog has been registered with the Charity Commissioners as a Charitable Trust, using the Model Instrument of The Architectural Heritage Fund. The object of the Trust is to protect and preserve the architectural, historical and cultural heritage of Tremadog.

2. ATTEMPTS TO NEGOTIATE WITH TANNERY OWNERS

In October 1991, Dewi Williams (Chair), David Browser (Treasurer) and Frances Voelcker (Secretary) had a meeting with Mr Michael Jones, Cyngor Dosbarth Dwyfor's Chief Planning Officer to discuss possible strategies; these were

i. Persuade Mrs Hibberts to withdraw application to demolish, and repair the Tannery and Fron Haul herself;

ii. Dwyfor to withdraw approval for demolition, and negotiate ''Planning Gain'' type consent, whereby she gets permission exceptionally to build, say, 6 houses on Beddgelert end of site on condition that she hands Tannery, Fron Haul and sufficient land in front of them over to Dwyfor;

iii. Dwyfor serve Repairs Notice on Listed Buildings; if Mrs Hibberts fails to comply within stated time, Dwyfor move to Compulsory Purchase at Minimum Compensation.

Mr and Mrs Hibberts met with Michael Jones to discuss matters with him in November. Mr Jones told the secretary that they were adamant that they are developers and the historic buildings were not economically viable to repair. They showed (but did not release) a plan showing the site cleared and houses all round it to form courtyard. They would only consider negotiating if Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog had the money to purchase site. They asked for contact from Cyfeillion Cadw Tremadog.

Frances Voelcker phoned Mrs Hibberts; she would not consider either keeping & repairing the Listed buildings, or relinquishing them; only interested in a sale. Frances Voelcker explained (again) that most of the grant-giving bodies will only consider applications from groups that already or imminently own or lease the building in question; that grants are for repairs, not purchase. Mrs Hibberts was (understandably) annoyed, said the group was wasting her time.

3 LOCAL INQUIRY

On December 20th 1992, the Welsh Office called in the case for a Local Inquiry because of the importance of the building and the amount of opposition to its demolition. The Evacuation provided to the Welsh Office by the Inspector of Industrial Buildings and Monuments stated that the Tannery is of National Importance as an early and innovative building of its type; as an integral part of Madock's design for Tremadog; and unusual in that a barge archive about its technological and social context exists.

No date was given for the Inquiry, but it was unlikely to take place before mid-summer 1992.

4 DEMOLITION APPLICATION WITHDRAWN

On 21st January, the architects acting for the Hibberts, Pritchard Owen Davies Partnership of Bangor, wrote to the Welsh Office on their clients' behalf, withdrawing the application to demolish, because of the likely financial and health costs of taking part in an Inquiry.

No indication of their intentions regarding the Tannery were given.

5 DWYFOR'S INITIATIVE

Cyngor Dosbarth Dwyfor has written to Dick Pritchard of the Pritchard Owen Davies Partnership, as agent for the Hibberts, to ask their intentions regarding the Listed buildings; and for immediate access, to enable a Repairs Notice to be prepared by Dwyfor, in order to prevent further damage to the Listed buildings.

6 POSSIBILITIES

At least six months delay, and much effort in mounting the group's case at the Local Inquiry has been avoided by the Hibberts withdrawing their application to demolish. Now it is important to keep up the pressure for either

i) Sympathetic repair and conversion by the Hibberts of the Listed buildings, plus redevelopment of the rest of the site or

ii) Transfer to Dwyfor of Listed buildings and land fronting them, in exchange for ''Planning Gain'' type of agreement for suitable housing on rest of site.

iii) Failing either of these, Dwyfor has no alternative but to move to serving a Repairs Notice to protect the buildings in the short term; and to Compulsory Purchase if the terms of the Repairs Notice are not fulfilled.

Obviously, the Trust would rather i) or ii)

7 ACTION

Write to Dwyfor to in the short term - encourage them to serve they need to know that a Repairs Notice they have support.