Residents Protest Security Gates That Cut Off Community Access

People in a Welsh village are protesting. They are upset with a homeowner who blocked a walking route in Cwmparc, near Treorchy. Locals are acting after this happened, as the path led to Cwmparc forestry land overlooking the village homes.

The forest path is very popular and is the only accessible route, which people value deeply. Some spread family ashes there, and the primary school uses it for summer classes. Walkers say people use it every hour.

The homeowner hired security guards and built gates earlier this month, which stopped people from using the path. Natural Resources Wales manages the road, but the owner claims the gates are on their land. Locals call the action cruel, saying the road always accessed the forest, which is open to everyone.

Sera Evans and Heledd Fychan sent a letter to Natural Resources Wales. They said the gates are on garden land belonging to the house nearby, and the homeowner put up the gates. This information came from council investigations.

On February 23, people protested, demanding the gates be removed. They met at a railway bridge between Tylacoch and Treorchy. One group walked the mountain to the gate, while the other group reached the gate from Cwmparc.