A FRUSTRATED Dolgellau businessman is pushing ahead with plans to provide the town with his own tourist information centre after seeing a “definite decline in trade” in recent weeks.

Nick Gough, who owns a B&B, is intending to open an independent visitor centre in his property before the end of the week after the town’s official information centre, run by Snowdonia National Park Authority, was axed in February.

But the Dolgellau Partnership, a initiative set up in 2001 to boost the town’s image and economy, also has plans to open a new tourist centre in the town’s Free Library within the next fortnight, after seeking permission from Dolgellau town council earlier this week.

Mr Gough feels the townspeople were not forewarned and had “the rug pulled from beneath their feet” when they heard about the TIC’s closure.

“I’m not saying it would not have happened anyway but we’ve lost four businesses from the town since the tourist centre closed - losing it has been a real blow.

“Figures state that 44,000 people used the centre every year so that’s footfall that we’re going to lose unless something is done quickly.”

The proprietor of the Ty Seren bed and breakfast hopes to offer his community a temporary fix until something more permanent can be put in place.

Town councillor and partnership representative Jo Checkley said: “Depending on volunteers, we should be able to have something up and running within a fortnight, we’re as keen as anyone to provide visitors to the town with all the information they require.

See the full story in this week’s Meirionnydd edition of the Cambrian News