Visitor and birdwatch signs approved for Lake Vyrnwy site

Visitors will be able to find out what kind of birds they have spotted during their walks there, as well as find their way around the tourist hotspot.

It is also hoped that the signs will help ease congestion on the roads around the reservoir.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) jointly manages the estate around the lake with water company Hafren Dyfrdwy.

Planning applications lodged by the RSPB for more signs and advertising boards to be placed at the Lake Vyrnwy car parks have been approved by Powys County Council.

Michael Perks of the RSPB explained: “The plan is to erect a map and sign at each of the five main parking areas around Lake Vyrnwy to provide welcome, safety and orientation information for visitors.

“The Lake Vyrnwy Stakeholder’s Forum led by Hafren Dyfrdwy, in response to unprecedented visitor pressure as we reopened after Covid restrictions, developed a number of measures supported by Powys County Council's Covid Hardship Fund, aimed at safely delivering a high-quality experience for visitors.”

Mr Perks added: “The site is a visitor destination located around the perimeter of the lake and receives up to 200,000 visitors a year.

“Visit numbers have increased and we have seen new audiences and demographics visiting the area.

“Current orientation and welcome signage is poor and it is difficult for visitors to navigate the site and understand the opportunities available.

“This causes a build-up of visitor pressure and associated problems which can be challenging for local residents and those managing the site.”

As the Lake Vyrnwy Dam is a Grade I listed building, planners had to consider whether the signs would have a negative impact on it.

The council’s built heritage officer, Dr Sam Johnson said: “The impact on setting will be negligible, and more than offset by the communal benefit the signs will bring.”

In her report Charis Denham said: “The proposed signs are to be located on an area of tarmac car park, hardcore car park or on the side of an existing building.

“There is no potential to any priority or protected species to be affected by the proposal.

“The proposed development fundamentally complies with relevant planning policy and the recommendation is one of conditional consent.”

The Vyrnwy Dam was built between 1881 and 1890 and was the first large masonry dam in the UK. It was opened in 1892.

At the time of its completion the reservoir was the largest in Europe and provided water for Liverpool by a 68-and-a-half-mile aqueduct.

The old village of Llanwddyn was flooded following the construction of the dam.