Coastal Clash Over Container Cafe Near 'Untouched' Welsh Beach
A major planning dispute has erupted in North Wales where a shipping container café stands accused of ruining views near one of Britain's most stunning coastal treasures. Local residents are campaigning for the demolition of the structure, which sits beside the picturesque beach at Trefor, while its owners fight to keep their business operating.
The Battle Lines Drawn
Ian and Alice Paice, who run the Bert's Kitchen Garden campsite, installed the shipping container café during summer 2024 on a concrete base that was once part of the area's quarrying heritage. The location sits directly alongside the Wales Coast Path, which leads walkers from Trefor to 150 acres of National Trust-owned headland.
Gwynedd Council has now issued an enforcement notice following numerous complaints that the café operated without proper planning permission and was causing significant traffic problems. The council's intervention came after concerns were raised about the impact on the local Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
The National Trust has thrown its weight behind local objectors, arguing the development is "significantly detrimental" to what had been largely unspoilt countryside. Local commercial fishermen have also joined the opposition, while community councillor Geraint Jones described the site as being in "one of the few places on this north coast that has not been ruined".
Legal Arguments and Counter-Arguments
The owners have mounted a second challenge against Gwynedd Council's ruling, with Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) currently reviewing the case. Their legal representatives argue the café operates within their wider campsite, which stretches approximately 300 metres through woodland to "Bert's Beach" along the shoreline.
Hafod Planning Consultants (HPC), acting for the owners, insist the land had an exemption certificate and that no material change of use was required because the café could be moved on castors, making it a temporary structure. They claim: "All elements can be moved to another part of the site or any other position by two people within an hour."
However, Gwynedd Council disputes this mobility claim, revealing that only ornamental wheels were permanently affixed – with silicone adhesive. The authority stated: "The background history of the site shows the container has only been moved once over two years."
Local Anger and Infrastructure Concerns
Local resident Philip Hope submitted a formal complaint to PEDW, branding the shipping container an "eyesore". He claimed that during summer months, the area "resembles an unlicensed traveller's site" with "campervans strewn over the hardstanding".
Mr Hope highlighted significant traffic issues, stating: "During the peak season it was chaotic, residents and commercial fisherman were unable to park, slipways and emergency services access were consistently blocked by private vehicles." He argued that "Trefor, as a village, is not set up for this volume of tourism" and that the village's road system and infrastructure were "at breaking point" during peak holiday season.
This summer, the café was joined by a mobile horsebox sauna, though this is not part of the current enforcement action. The café itself features Portaloo facilities and operates using a portable generator, located on the former stockyard of Trefor granite quarry beside its now demolished jetty.
The owners maintain that the café's primary purpose is to "service the campsite" with only occasional custom from coastal path walkers. On their website, they emphasise that the café received backing from Gwynedd Council's Spark Fund to generate additional Welsh-speaking employment opportunities.
Despite the controversy, Gwynedd Council remains firm that the container has a major impact on the "character and visual amenity" of the area, concluding that "no conditions could be imposed on any retrospective planning application to make the development acceptable in planning terms."
