2006/7

The psychological toll is immense.   

We now face the prospect of added noise and disturbance on top of what we already are expected to cope with, as yet another shed goes up.  This will certainly impact upon our cottage visibly which will inevitably influence the saleability of our property, but will also affect us psychologically as the true purposes of these sheds are not for agricultural use at all, but for the haulage and it's ancillary operations. This will lead to more disturbance from this industrial business with the range of noisy activities impacting upon the enjoyment of our home.

Our civil case to have these gates removed drags on as does the intimidation whenever we drive out and drive back in. We desperately need to have the obstructions removed.  When that is done we will have only our gate to open which means we won't be subjected to any more abuse.  However the neighbours did everything in their power to obstruct the case from going to court as more excuses for delays kept coming.  It took three long and torturous years for the case to be heard.   

Neighbours called this 'our metal enclosure'.

Writing to councillors on the advice from the Welsh government was totally in vain.  The Leader Cllr Madge paid no heed to our dire situation and simply wrote back saying he'd pass my concerns onto the appropriate persons.   In other words he would inform the deceitful and dishonest E Bowen, the cause of our problems, that I was seeking help.   It is akin to an abused person/s (which is what we were) being told by someone who is there to assist - to prevent any further abuse from taking place, - to act upon evidence of wrongdoing - that he will inform your abuser of all you are accusing him of.  It is shocking conduct from a Leader of this council.    Councillors who pass the buck or turn a blind eye are not carrying out their civic duties to the public. 

As for the other councillors of which there are 74 - I had two other acknowledgements only but no further interest in our ordeal.  When councillors ignore the plight of a member of the public who is clearly suffering due to their officers misconduct they are wilfully turning a blind eye.  That is in my view irresponsible and ignoring their own Code of Conduct- the Nolan Principles and showing an indifference to all they originally stood for.

Councillors should be reminded from time to time of their responsibilities to the public they purport to serve.  The documentaries alone should have prompted a backlash from all of them.  There is no excuse.  

The obvious favours being given to our neighbours continued with ever more unauthorised and illegal quarrying and ever more rock being exported off-site.   The noise was unbearable. Again I informed E Bowen that quarrying and the exportation of the rock off-site was continuing.   Another site visit!!   Alarmingly I was told that there was no evidence of quarrying; of course not - it was all in my imagination! 

No evidence of quarrying

I clearly had to film - again.   I did not want, nor should I have had to film, to gain further proof  officers were lying and that I was telling the truth!  It is most shocking and deeply disturbing that I was alone in fighting what can only be described as a deep-seated culture of deception and duplicity within Carmarthen Council. (in plain language - corruption).  We were in shock and deeply distressed at what was being perpetrated upon us.   How on earth was I supposed to obtain truth and justice when I was left fighting alone against a council who were deeply entrenched in deceit and cover-up of all that was wrong.

As K Thomas (neighbour) was interfering with friends and visitors as they left, (trying to negotiate the gates on our Right of Way) by either filming them or entering the Right of Way to deliberately 'get in their way' it was obvious she intended to do this to any potential customers we would have for our intended cattery business.  We were witnessing our smallholding becoming unsaleable - our plans for the cattery was already in ruins - we were suffering financially and we were never going to be able to pay back the borrowings we had made which would ultimately mean losing our home.

My Victim Support lady who had visited me once at home wrote telling me she felt so intimidated by the neighbours filming her, with several of their lorry drivers watching on, we would have to meet somewhere else in the future.  Everybody who came here was in some way made to feel uncomfortable.  All that was taking place here including the abuse and intimidation of ourselves and visitors, the council were made aware of, and without doubt should have stepped in as it was they who had created this nightmare for us. 

My local farmer who was going to cut our fields had previously been threatened by K Thomas that he would suffer consequences if he did any work for us.     He very bravely refused to be intimidated by her and did cut our fields all the while K Thomas was filming him doing so.   During this period he had parked his Land Rover in the road opposite us which is a very quiet country road where not much traffic passes through.    Upon returning to his vehicle he found to his horror that two of his tyres had been cut.  He had to call a friend of his to take him back to his farm.    This was reported to the police but as always any evidence from obvious CCTV cameras was not viewed therefore there was zero evidence of who had so vengefully caused him fear and also money.   How much more obvious was it that our plans were in shreds.

K Thomas filming a local farmer who had just been cutting our fields

Even though our lives were in tatters I was determined to continue proving the corruption taking place, as I always lived in hope that one day, somebody, would put a stop to this vicious abuse of us from the council.  We managed to film lorries loaded with rock being transported off-site and being driven down towards Llandeilo.      E  Bowen continued his protection of all that was wrong and refused to acknowledge this evidence and took no action except to accuse me of making more unfounded allegations.

Through Freedom of Information I had found these disgusting slanderous and probably libellous accusations.   All in the name of discrediting and gagging me.  How desperate were officers including Mark James CEO to silence me, going to such extreme lengths; and is this normal behaviour from a CEO and Head of Planning of ones local authority?     These are just a few of the shocking accusations made and used against me..............I was accused of being ......

'psychotic - unstable - vicious - vindictive - sly - devious - a bully- a complete nutcase -  she has harassed and bullied people throughout her entire life - take everything she says with a pinch of salt -  she intimidates officers - she edits evidence- she doctors evidence - she makes unsubstantiated complaints - makes malicious complaints - she has a personal vendetta - she has psychiatric problems she has a twee idea of the countryside being about skylarks and primroses’ etc

The Ombudsman had this to say........"by refusing to accept the evidence they implied the complainants were dishonest"    

The Ombudsman referred to these disgusting comments in his report saying "the council took views about the complainants they had no right to take and made those views known to other agencies". 

August 2007


As I had written 12 letters from December 2004 - July 2005 to the council I was deemed to be a 'persistent complainer'.  This apparently warranted putting me on the Council's Persistent Complainers Policy (PCP)  As far as I understand it had never been used before.  It has to be justified and entails firstly writing to the complainant advising them of the policy and that they potentially could be put on it -  giving them one point of contact - advising them that nothing would be addressed unless 'fresh issues' arose - and regular reviews are supposed to be undertaken to monitor your correspondence.    In other words 'we are now going to ignore you and all that you have been advising us of '. 

Senior officers were desperate to silence and discredit me as I was very aware of all that was taking place and had a plethora of evidence to prove all I was complaining of.  Clearly the police and CPS hadn't achieved their objectives, therefore another strategy had to be found and this was to be their master plan!    However, the council failed to inform me that I was on this policy which is against regulations - they failed to address 'fresh issues' and failed to have regular reviews.   Not that it mattered to anyone except when I eventually took my complaints to the Ombudsman in 2012 the council were heavily criticised on all points. 

We were on this gagging order for three years whilst the industrial, quarrying and all other manner of unauthorised operations continued and we continued to be abused and threatened on a daily basis.  I was being silenced in order these industial operations could continue unimpeded.


Although my political representatives had all the evidence of unauthorised and illegal operations and were aware of the threatening behaviour of our neighbours towards us, had seen the TV documentaries, for some rason unbeknown to me, they were impotent in taking any action against the council.   My own local councillor throughout this exceedingly distressing  time was cowardly making every excuse for officers.  He behaved like a rabbit caught in headlights!    I was beginning to believe officers employed by local authorities were above the law!

Nobody cared that we were trapped in a hell not of our making and if this continued we were ultimately going to lose our home as well.

2007


More deceitful planning applications and another helping hand from the Head of Planning  E Bowen?

Just as before when someone influenced the Planning Inspector in order to obtain the first enormous shed for my neighbours, (no doubts who that would have been)  the Head of Planning simply ignored the Planning committee's decision to refuse planning for another shed of the same size and told the neighbours to build it anyway.  No worries for them putting in an appeal to the Inspectorate, that's for others who are not 'friends' of the council, they might just not uphold another appeal.  This shed has no planning permission, but no concerns for Head of Planning as it only affects us - it only imposes upon us - it only affects the value of our property. What can I do about it?  Tell my M. P. my A. M. my councillor?   I did!  

This shed when built, was used for all manner of unauthorised activities of course, as there was zero agriculture at Blaenpant only industrial activities and that is precisely what this shed was built for and used for.  Upon informing E Bowen that this shed was not used for agriculture only noisy industrial activities, I was informed he'd carried out a site visit and that I was making 'unfounded accusations'. 

In between times, the neighbours had already erected another substantial building (stable for the stallion) alongside their dutch barn, (without planning) again ignored by E Bowen, and were putting in yet another application to build on its thumbprint. (replacement building).   Of course, as the substantial stable was now included in the overall size it meant this building could be much larger than it's original size!  I pointed out to the council that yet another building had been erected without planning (stable)  I was informed "it is not another building it is just an extension"?  Amazingly when the plans were drawn up, they clearly indicated the extra building as a 'stable' not just an extension.

E Bowen knew this land opposite us was a Special Area of Conservation, was being raised enormously with tonnes of concrete being poured onto it, knowing precisely how high these sheds would ultimately be and were obviously going to tower over us. 

These three imposing monsters are within 50 meters of our cottage and built on a SSSI/SAC area.

There have been at least eighteen planning applications from this so-called farm and all under the guise of agriculture where there were only industrial and equine businesses operating.

I've learned so much about Carmarthen Council's planning and enforcement department over these years, and it's shocking conduct by officers who are paid to uphold planning regulations, abide by the law, their codes of conduct and indeed the Nolan Principles;  how they abuse the system for some, and destroy those who attempt to defend their own investment, their quality of life, in exposing the obvious flaws in planning. 

These three sheds were all built under agricultural justifications.    First shed - used for stabling of the many horses being bred and sold plus other activities not associated with any form of agriculture.   The second shed used for the haulage businesss many HGVs and cutting of scrap  The third shed houses a pit, and used for maintenance on HGVs, other vehicles and also used for welding. 
 

As I was accused so many times of making 'unfounded and malicious accusations' I filmed the activities in order to prove I was not malicious nor was I making unfounded accusations.   I was simply trying to protect our quality of life, our financial investment, and our plans for our future.  

When the Ombudsman interviewed twelve officers following my complaints to him in 2012, unsurprisingly not one could could provide any evidence of their accusations that I was being 'malicious'.  These accusations came from Brian Canning (Enforcement Manager) E Bowen (Head of Planning) and the CEO Mark James.   The Ombudsman went on to say that all of their 'malicious' accusations against me were passed onto every other agency who became involved in this case. 

Carmarthen council have a lot of explaining to do.