HOLTSFIELD WALKS TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS

Many of you may be familiar with the case of the Holtsfield residents 
of Gower but, if not,
here is a brief description....

Located between the village of Murton and Caswell Bay on Gower -
 Britain's first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty -
 Holtsfield is a community of 27 chalets set in rural surroundings. The
 chalets are home to 60 people, 24 of whom are children and with the
 oldest resident reputedly in her 90's!  Some of the residents have lived
 in their chalets for over 40 years, with the fourth generation currently
 growing up there.  The Holtsfield community is also very mixed
 occupationally, and includes an architect, a councillor, three nature
 wardens, a retired Royal Navy sailor and a sculptor.
 
History
The chalets themselves are not a recent addition to the Gower landscape. 
 Many were built during the inter-war years, initially as DIY holiday
 apartments.  Holtsfield's character then changed considerably during the
 Second World War, when the chalets were used as havens from the bombing
 of Swansea.  Things changed again after 1945, with the chalets being
 increasingly used as permanent dwellings; people had become attached to
 them during their stay in war-time, whilst others used them as an answer to
 the severe post-war housing crisis.
Being low impact dwellings, the wooden chalets require constant 
living in and maintaining for their survival. The resulting work that has been
 done on the structures by the residents means that now each chalet is
 unique, reflecting the character of the people that have resided within it.
 A recognition of this unique architectural heritage came in 1990, when
 Holtsfield was designated a Conservation Area by Swansea City Council.

The current crisis
In spite of the long-established nature of the settlement, this distinctive
 Holtsfield community has been under threat since 1989, when the land
 was bought by a local property developer.  The new owner wishes to evict
 the residents, demolish the chalets and build luxury accommodation.  Under
 this plan, Holtsfield would become incorporated into the rest of suburban
 Swansea.
Fortunately, public and official support for the community has been 
considerable.  From the official angle, Swansea City Council has consistently
 refused to give permission for the proposed development, doing all in its
 power to support the community.  Likewise, the Welsh Office has upheld
 the Council's approach and appears equally supportive.  More generally, the
 people of the Swansea area have signalled their support for the struggles of
 the residents, through fund-raising and other events.
Despite these strong feelings, however, the developer has continued 
to seek the eviction of the residents through the courts. The legal battle has
 already lasted seven years without resolution, with the resident's critical
 appeal to the House of Lords set for March 20th 1997.....


THE CURRENT ACTIONS

The attempt by the solicitor-cum-developer Timothy Jones to evict the 
Holtsfield residents reaches the House of Lords in the middle of March.  
This appeal against the threatened eviction of the residents needs 
all our help.  In order to draw attention to this crucial legal moment, many
 members of the Holtsfield community are going to WALK to the House of
Lords from Swansea.  The walk begins this Saturday (March 1st) and 
should reach London on Sunday March 16th.  On the way the walkers will
 pass through Cardiff, Bath, Oxford, Reading, Windsor and Richmond.  Why
 not join the walkers for a few hours to show support, especially on the final
 leg?  A detailed timetable of the walk is available from the web page referenced
 below, plus a daily update on the walkers' progress can be obtained on
 01792-232643.

Another way to support the residents is to write to Barclays Bank to 
try to persuade them to stop funding Elitestone Limited of Swansea, Mr Jones's
company.  Perhaps you could point out that the company's working capital
deficit for 1994 was over half a million pounds and that the company has been running a huge overdraft for 
years (South Wales Evening Post 23/11/95).  Relevant individuals and addresses
 are:

Gareth George, Welsh Director, Barclays Bank, 3 Windsor Place, 
Cardiff, CF1 3BT.
Adrian Russell, Barclays Bank, PO Box 323, 54 Lombard Street, London, 
EC3 3AA.

The Holtsfield WEB SITE is found at:   http://iip.co.uk/www/holtsfield
Why not pay it a visit???


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