Wales Farmer 8
DIARYdates June
1st: Severn Valley Welsh Pony and Cob Association 28th Annual Open Show, Coed Dinas, Welshpool. Contact Janet Lewis on 01686 412528 or email
lewis.janet@hotmail.co.uk.
www.svwpca.com. 8th: Aberystwyth and Ceredigion County Show, Gelli Angharad Fields, Capel Bangor, Aberystwyth. Horse, cattle, sheep, poultry, dog and horticultural sections. Contact secretary Meinir Evans on 01974 200814.
www.aberystwythshow.com. 8th: Caerwys Show, Gatehouse Fields, Babell, Holywell, Flintshire. Sheep, cattle, horse and poultry classes, floral art, photography, produce, vintage machinery, attractions and entertainment. Ring 01352 720306 or email info@caerwys
show.co.uk. 15th: Clwyd Welsh Pony and Cob Association Summer Silver Medal Show. Ruthin Email Audrey Weaver at
morwynponies@aol.com. 16th: Blaenavon and District Show. Contact 01495 772981. 22nd: Brecon and Borders Welsh Pony and Cob Breeder Association Bronze Rosette Show. Brecon Showground. Contact Jayne Owen-Lowe, at
newyddwelshcobs@tiscali.co.uk 23rd: Gwent WPCA Summer Medal Show. Hilltop Sportsground, Ebbwvale. Contact Victoria Woodland, Llwyncelyn Terrace, Aberbeeg, Abertillery, Gwent at candlewoodstud@btinternet. com. 30th: Ceredigion Welsh Pony and Cob Association Summer Show. Llanllyr, Talsarn, Lampeter. Contact Llinos Spenser on 01970 626871 or email
keith@felinmor.com. 30th: Gwendraeth Valley Horse Show Cilferi Uchaf Farm, Five Roads, Llanelli. Contact Caroline Rees, Croesnant, Five Roads, Llanelli at
carwmarw@yahoo.co.uk. July
7th: Fundraising road run for All Wales Ploughing Championships. From Pen-y-Ffordd, Lixwm Road, Brynford. Ring 01352 712028. 22nd-25th: Royal Welsh Show. The biggest event of its kind in Europe, held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Llanelwedd, Builth Wells. Stock competitions, family attractions, variety of stalls and shopping. Contact 01982 553683 or go to
www.rwas.co.uk. 27th: Trapp Agricultural Show, Llandeilo. Contact Beryl Owen on 01558 823213 or email
beryl.penywaun@
tiscali.co.uk. 31st: Cardigan County Agricultural Show, Briscwm Fields, Cardigan. Trade stands, horticulture, cookery and craft, dog show, vintage display, BSJ show jumping, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and private driving. Contact secretary Alwyn Evans on 01239 891637, email secretary@cardigancounty
show.co.uk.
www.cardigan
countyshow.co.uk.
OPINIONS June 2013
Relaxed drink-drive laws will not help to solve rural isolation
By Debbie James
Ireland wants people living in isolated areas to have the legal right to drink and drive. The theory is that if rural drinkers are allowed to drive after having “two or three drinks”, depression and suicide could be prevented. Councillors backing the motion argue that it would bring back a social outlet for lonely people in rural areas lost after stricter drink-drive laws were introduced. They suggest that
A
COUNTY council in rural southern
rural drinkers travel on very minor roads, often on tractors, with very little traffic and therefore it is not right that they are treated the same as the rest of the travelling public. What happens when one of these ‘suicidal’
PLANNING matters Affordable housing
IN THE December issue of Wales Farmer Iaddressed the topic of rural enterprise dwellings. But what are the options for those without land or buildings currently available to address rural
housing needs? Newhousing in the countryside
is acontentiousissue –not least due to the lack of affordable dwellings being developed forthe next generation of homeowners. Formanythe prospect of purchas- ing adwelling within arural village or town is limited due to the cost of property and since the restric- tion of high loan-to-value mort-
gages.The price of land is also lim- iting the number of self-builders coming forward. However,thereare anumber of
options coming onto the marketto assist rural buyers looking to pur- chase ahome forthe first time. Manyofthe major house-builders nowoffer shared ownership schemes,which retain apercentage of the property until afixed point in time,ortoberetained until the property is sold. These schemes effectively reduce the levelofrisk to mortgage lenders,allowing a lowerloan-to-value ratio forfirst time buyers. However,ifthe housing market
does rise,the levelofgain forthe owner is reduced. Equallyifthe marketfalls further,the amount repayablewould also fall. ManyRegistered
Social
Landlord (RSL) providers also offerhome-buyschemes which performasimilar role,substituting the cost of purchasing aproperty
In his regular column for Wales Farmer, WAYNE REYNOLDS, director of Atriarc Group, reviews affordable housing practice in rural communities
by taking ashareofownership (typicallybetween 30% and 50%). Ahelp-to-buy scheme wasalso announced in England in 2013, however the Welsh Government has yettoconfirmifa similar scheme will run in Wales. While manynew developments
requireapercentage of new dwellings to be allocated for affordable housing requirements; due to the scale of building in rural areas manyschemes fail to provide sufficient affordable homes to cater forthe demand. Whereshortfalls in supplyare identified thereis flexibility in the planning system to allocate bespokesites forafford- able housing projects. However,these arefew and far
between as speculative applica- tions on un-designated land often raise considerable local objection. Furthermore, the costs associat-
ed with meeting anyplanning requirements areoften far higher, forexample to evidence local need or proveinsufficient land supplyis
currentlyretained within the plan- ning system to cater forforecasted growth figures. Manylocal authorities in Wales
have recentlyadopted newplans, or areinthe final phases of identi- fying futurelands fordevelop- ment, hence speculative applica- tions areless likelytooccur in the near future. While manypeople wait for
properties to come on to the mar- ket, forthose eager to securetheir first step on the property ladder, whynot contact local RSLs and house-builders to see if any schemes arecoming forwardin your area (and register your inter- est at apre-construction stage)? With aclear demand forproper-
ty,itmay evenencouragecompa- nies to reconsider stalled sites if further government funding becomes availablefor projects. Forfurther details or enquiries
contact Wayne Reynolds on 01994 220667 or email wayne@atriarc
group.com.
For the latest Wales farming news:
walesfarmer.co.uk
people has afew drinks and kills someone else on the road? Itoo live in the countryside and the prospect of sharing a country road with a driver who is not fully in control is a worrying one. In Wales, evidence suggests that rural locations bear the brunt of road accidents leading to deaths and injuries. I’m sure the statistics would be similar in Ireland. Ihave driven in rural Ireland on many occasions, along poorly- maintained, winding roads, which suddenly narrow to one track. Drivers
need to have their wits about them to keep themselves and others safe. Alcohol affects people in different ways. Back in my student days Idon’t doubt that Idrank more than was good for me, but the student bar was in walking distance of the halls of residence. Now, many years and three children later, it only takes aglass or two of wine to have the same effect as the many Iconsumed back then. Even if it was legal for me to get behind the wheel after two glasses of wine, I wouldn’t because I
know my judgment would be very different to that of my sober self. There is very strong evidence of an irrefutable link between the consumption of alcohol and impairment. I’m not ahigh priestess for prohibition –Ilove a drink or two –but surely it is possible to drink non-alcoholic beverages and still enjoy anight out. If not, what’s wrong with having a designated driver or paying for ataxi? Depression causes suicide; it’s not caused by not being able to go to the pub.
We want to hear from you!
SEND your stories and pictures on any agricultural-related matter, from showing success, top mart prices and diary dates to equestrian or countryside news. We also like to feature your readers’ letters, so if there’s something you want to get off your chest now’s your chance. Email
wfeditor@walesfarmer.co. uk or call the newsdesk on 01437 761759.
WALES FARMER CONTACTS
Publisher: Nigel White
nigel.white@walesfarmer.co.uk
Managing editor: Holly Robinson
holly.robinson@
walesfarmer.co.uk
Farmer editor: Rhiannon Llewellin 01437 761759
wfeditor@walesfarmer.co.uk
Reporter: Debbie James 01646 661395
info@debbiejamesmedia.com
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