³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

A councillor wants public meetings to go on over the sale of the Lake Vyrnwy estate in Powys after a deal is done.

The latest meeting will be on Monday night at the community centre in Abertridwr, Powys.

"It's very important that there has been, and will be, a forum for the local community," said Llanwddyn councillor Simon Baynes.

The £11m sale is described as the biggest in living memory in Wales and England.

Monday's meeting will hear from the Lake Vyrnwy Community Action Group, chaired by Mike Duggleby.

Representatives of Severn Trent, United Utilities, RSPB and Knight Frank will also attend.

"The sale has been a very contentious issue," explained Mr Baynes, councillor for Llanwddyn, Llangynog and Penybontfawr.

"These meetings have been the mechanism through which we have got people to pay attention to the local community."

Mr Baynes said the purchase of the estate could not be regarded as just another commercial sale as many people's everyday lives were caught up in the estate.

"The meetings will carry on until the sale is finished and we hope they will carry on into the future after that," he said.

A three-month consultation started in September after the preferred bidders to develop the estate were named in July.

United Utilities and RSPB Cymru offered for the agricultural holdings on the estate, while FIM Sustainable Timber and Energy LP was named preferred bidder for the commercial woodland.

Many local people had backed a rival offer by Bala-based millionaire businessman Rhys Jones.

United Utilities provides water and waste water services to nearly 7m people in north west England, supplying more than 3m households and more than 400,000 business premises.

Parts of the Lake Vyrnwy plot being offered for lease are entitled to special protection and include Sites of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area for birds and a Special Area of Conservation for its outstanding upland habitats.