National park planners have agreed two separate proposals to upgrade facilities and security on opposite shores of Llyn Tegid, Bala.

The schemes concern car parks and toilets.

Eryri National Park Authority planning and access committee approved the applications with conditions, on 25 June.

Debate over the use of materials was queried, with questions asked over pollution risks of work at the waterside sites.

But the meeting heard that although “pollution pathways” had been identified, any potential risk could be mitigated by use of pollution prevention measures employed during construction.

The first application concerned the ENPA warden centre and car park, on Llyn Tegid’s northern shore, calling for permission to insulate and affix grey timber cladding and solar panels to the two-storey warden building, which included toilets above, and a boat rental and watersports business below.

The scheme would see the installation of car park recognition cameras, CCTV and a new entrance gate.

Revised plans would also see more cameras attached to two sides of a small stone building near the entrance.

Plans state the work was “non-intrusive” nor harmful to any species or site.

The second application concerned Llangower car park on the lake’s eastern shore, where there were also toilets.

Plans would see the removal and upgrade of the existing toilets, installation of cladding, renewal work and creation of further car parking spaces, the installation of recognition and CCTV cameras, and a new gate.

The car park is on a 0.4h acre site, between the B4403 and Bala Lake Railway.

The meeting heard work could see the park capacity increase from around 60-90 spaces by marking out specific bays.

This was “a more efficient use of the land”, a report said, and will hopefully help boost income for the national park.

Plans would also see internal upgrades to the toilet, and the external timber cladding would “improve maintenance costs and longevity of the building”. Cameras would also be installed on poles.

The application said “careful consideration was afforded for use of appropriate materials to ensure they were compatible with the setting of this relatively remote but well used car parking facility”.

Following a public consultation no objections were received for either application.

Brian Angell, a committee member appointed by the Welsh Government, queried the types of timber used, if it was native or local, how it was sourced, if it would be tanalised and how chemicals would be handled.

He called for advisory notes to be attached over measures to prevent any pollution issues.

Planning case officer Richard Thomas said pollution pathways had been identified for Llyn Tegid, but an HRA (habitats regulation assessment) had been carried out.

“They found that if developers or the authority employed pollution prevention measures during construction, those pathways could be secured and no pollution would ensue to Llyn Tegid,” he said.

He said Natural Resources Wales was happy and they were able to provide advice in the form of pollution planning guidance, and that guidance would be put into the planning as an advisory.