Fresh plans for marina expansion

The rejected plan would have doubled the marina's capacity

Plans to expand the size of a Gwynedd marina are expected to be put forward next month.

The Pwllheli Marina Traders Association told the BBC current affairs programme Llinyn Mesur of its planning application for 1,000 berths.

Proposals to almost double the size of the 400-berth marina were rejected last year because concerns over the potential impact on the Welsh language.

But the 22-strong traders' group said that the development was needed.

The application for the inner harbour will be submitted on 1 July. The previous plan caused controversy and would have meant increasing the current moorings from 400 to 700 in a £3.8m investment.

Some said it could lead to an influx of non-Welsh speakers which could damage the traditional language heartland.

Around 400 people are waiting for berths at the marina

But others argued that the marina's expansion was vital for the local economy, with local young people training for jobs.

Ian Harrison, of the Blue Water Marine boat company based at the marina, said there were more than 400 people currently on a waiting list for berths.

He said that local business people were frustrated that the development could not go ahead.

Mr Harrison it was "absolutely crazy" to suggest that developing the marina would damage the Welsh language.

He said: "If you want to retain the culture and the language, surely the best way to do that is to retain young people in the area, to create quality full-time jobs for these people. That would secure the language and the culture."

Pressure group Cymuned last year expressed fears that an expansion would lead to an influx of non-Welsh speakers and a dilution of the language.

Councillor Dafydd Iwan, who holds the development portfolio on Gwynedd Council, said that the new application would be considered within the context of the county's new regeneration strategy.

He said: "A thousand moorings doesn't sound realistic to me, but these ideas will all be fed into the process of creating a regeneration strategy for Pwllheli and the Llyn peninsula.

"We must strengthen the economy but in a sensible way which is not going to spoil what makes Llyn and Pwllheli so valuable to Gwynedd and to Wales."