The Welsh Government has decided not to call in the Cwm Cynfal hydro scheme, leaving the decision in the hands of the Eryri National Park.

Ffestiniog Town Council, meanwhile, has unanimously voted to defend the local waterfall.

Welsh Government said on Wednesday, 8 April that it would not call in the controversial Cwm Cynfal hydro scheme, which would lead to the building a small dam on the Afon Cynfal above Llan Ffestiniog and diverting, at times, nearly 70 per cent of the water out of the waterfall of Rhaeadr y Cwm, in Cwm Cynfal to produce electricity.

This now leaves the decision in the hands of the Eryri National Park Authority.

Meanwhile, Ffestiniog Town Council has voted to unanimously to oppose these plans and to protect the waterfall and the rare wildlife that make use of the gorge, which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Back in 2024 the town council voted by five votes to four to support the scheme, but at its meeting in March, having received further information, the council voted unanimously to overturn this decision and oppose the plan.

The council fears building works required for the scheme could destabilise the B4391, causing major disruption and expensive repairs.

They are also concerned that excavating a trench through the river could lead to a serious pollution incident, the interference with the hydrology of the river and its impact on migratory fish including eels, the risk to the rare, damp-loving plants for which the gorge is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and the loss of the impressive appearance and sound of the waterfall, one of the finest in Eryri.

In January Welsh Government issued a ‘holding direction’ on the application, preventing the National Park Authority from granting permission until they had decided whether to call the application in. But now they have decided not to. The Planning Officer for the National Park Authority had previously recommended that the application be approved.

Cllr Marc Lloyd Griffiths, a former Chair of the council who represents the Teigl Ward on the town council, and who opposes the plan said: “The National Park Authority should be standing up to protect the landscape and wildlife of the area.

“Cwm Cynfal is part of all of our heritage and we should stand up to defend it. Wales is not for sale!

“The town council strongly supports the need to move develop renewable energy, but the amount of power this scheme would generate would not make any significant difference. You would need 12 schemes like this to generate as much electricity of one modern wind turbine.”

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The brothers behind the controversial hydro-electric scheme, Dafydd Elis, Elis Dafydd and Moi Dafydd, have stated previously that despite news reports, the residents are in favour of the scheme, which would harness the power of the iconic waterfall Rhaeadr y Cwm to provide low-cost electricity for up to 700 local homes, saving 1,962 tonnes of Co2 emissions annually.