National Trust backs opposition to 'eyesore' cafe

FURIOUS villagers backed by the National Trust are pushing for the removal of a beachside cafe near one of the coastal wonders of Wales.

- ANDREW FORGRAVE

Cyngor Gwynedd has issued an enforcement notice against the shipping container cafe which critics complain is a blot on the landscape.

The business was launched in summer 2024 by Ian and Alice Paice, who operate the Bert's Kitchen Garden campsite in nearby Trefor on the Llŷn Peninsula.

The shipping container was lifted into position onto a concreted area next to Trefor Beach that was once part of the area's quarry workings.

Running alongside it is the Wales Coast Path, which leads from Trefor to 150 acres of a headland owned by the National Trust. The area's most famous feature is the Trefor Sea Stacks (Ynys Fawr), a group of dramatic rock formations beneath towering cliffs.

Cyngor Gwynedd took action following complaints the cafe was unauthorised and was causing traffic congestion in Trefor. A recurring theme was its impact on the area's Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the National Trust arguing it was "significantly detrimental" to a mainly unspoilt area.

Local commercial fishermen have lobbied against the cafe while community councillor Geraint Jones said it was sited on "one of the few places on this north coast that has not been ruined".

Its owners have appealed Cyngor Gwynedd's decision for a second time and this is currently being considered by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW). They argue the cafe lies within their wider campsite, which runs some 300 metres through woodland to "Bert's Beach" on the coast.