Grand Designs house near cliff edge 'at risk'

THE owners of a “landmark” award-winning property which featured on TV's Grand Designs and is perched on top of a crumbling cliff are requesting permission to rescue it from landslides and erosion.

- DALE SPRIDGEON

A planning application has been lodged with Cyngor Gwynedd by the proprietors of Cefn Castell, near Llanystumdwy, Criccieth, requesting consent to undertake cliff stabilisation works.

The works are required following a landslip caused by water from a land drain alongside natural erosion.

“A significant landslip occurred in February 2024 adjacent to the building’s entrance gates,” plans say. “This was caused by a land drain on land beyond the curtilage of Cefn Castell that had been draining water directly onto the cliff face over a long period.”

It created an “immediate threat” to the stability of the entrance to the property, with the boundary wall now overhanging the cliff.

The coastal path beneath was also placed at risk. Plans say inquiries failed to establish the ownership of the drain and the issue remains unresolved.

However, urgent remedial measures are now required to secure the entranceway to the property and the adjacent Wales Coast Path.