Latest news with #2000Act
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire offers options for wild camping enthusiasts
The county is home to a variety of campsites, from family-friendly parks to rustic getaways. This comes as the Open Spaces Society has called for wild camping to be legalised across all open country in England and Wales, following a Supreme Court decision. Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said: "What is valid for the Dartmoor commons is valid for our open countryside generally. "We want the public to have a right to wild camp on access land designated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 [the 2000 Act] in England and Wales." While wild camping remains restricted in most areas, Monmouthshire offers plenty of sites for those seeking a night under the stars with a few more comforts. Red Sky at Night Campsite in Monmouthshire is set on a working family farm and offers peaceful pitches, scenic walks, and dark skies. Red Sky at Night campsite (Image: Visit Monmouthshire) The site describes itself as "the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of day to day life and enjoy a peaceful, yet exhilarating camping experience." Facilities include a compost loo and a covered sink area. For a touch of glamping, 'Blodwyn the Bell Tent' sits at the edge of the site, offering privacy and panoramic views. Another option is Pont Kemys Caravan and Camping Park, located in Chainbridge, Abergavenny. Pont Kemys Caravan and Camping Park (Image: Visit Monmouthshire) The site is just eight miles from Abergavenny and four miles from Usk, and is close to the Usk Valley Walk and Cycle Route 42. Pont Kemys is Monmouthshire's only five-star touring caravan park, offering a wide range of facilities. These include a fully-equipped facilities block, free wifi, an adult-only area with fully serviced super-pitches, a laundry room, and a television lounge. All caravan pitches come with electric hook-ups, and there is a reception area and shop on site. Penydre Caravan and Camping Site in Llanfihangel Crucorney offers a quieter stay, with space for 12 caravans and 12 tents. Penydre Caravan and Camping Site (Image: Visit Monmouthshire) Located five miles from Abergavenny, the site is close to a variety of outdoor activities, including pony trekking, gliding, mountain biking, and caving. Hendre Farmhouse Orchard Campsite in Wonastow is set on the historic Offa's Dyke and offers spacious pitches, modern facilities, and easy access to nearby attractions. Hendre Farmhouse Orchard Campsite (Image: Visit Monmouthshire) The site is pet-friendly by prior arrangement and costs start from £20 per night. Highlands Camping and Caravan Site in New Mills, Whitebrook, offers panoramic views of the Welsh hills and a relaxed, rural setting. Highlands Camping & Caravan Site (Image: Visit Monmouthshire) Pitches are mostly grass and sheltered by trees, with electric hook-ups available for tents, campervans, and motorhomes. The site also features a hand-crafted Orchard Wagon for glamping, equipped with a wood burner, large bed, and electricity. Basic facilities include a water tap, cold water washing-up area, and a trailer with two hot showers and two flush toilets. With its scenic landscapes and range of camping options, Monmouthshire offers the perfect setting for anyone looking to reconnect with nature and enjoy a night under the stars.
Irish Examiner
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Cork County Council is only local authority without language policy for Gaeltacht housing
Calls have been made to amend the County Development Plan to ensure Irish speakers are allocated a guaranteed percentage of new council and private houses that are built in the region's Gaeltacht areas. Cork County Council is currently the only local authority in the country which to date has not adopted such a policy in its planning conditions, despite the fact that an act was passed 25 years ago which allows councils with Gaeltacht areas to do this. The issue was raised at a meeting in County Hall by Fianna Fáil councillor Gobnait Moynihan, a fluent Irish speaker who lives in the Mhuscraí Gaeltacht. That area encompasses a number of small villages in the Mid-Cork region such as Cùil Aodha, Baile Mhuirne, Cill na Martra, Réidh na nDoirì and Béal Àtha nGhaothaidh. The other Gaeltacht area in the county is Oileàn Cléire off the West Cork coast. Ms Moynihan said the council is planning to build some houses in Baile Mhuirne and it should reserve a percentage of these for those who speak Irish on a daily basis. Ms Moynihan said the Planning and Development Act 2000 gave councils the green light to place language conditions on housing developments in Gaeltacht areas. 'All other councils with a Gaeltacht area are tackling this issue, except for Cork County Council. Take Donegal County Council, for example, where any housing development must have a minimum of 85% of the units allocated to Irish speakers,' she said. A Gaeltacht only exists because a percentage of people in the particular area speak Irish daily. The Gaeltacht status could be lost quickly if the level of daily Irish language speakers falls. "We know from the last census that there was a 2.4% drop of daily Irish speakers in the (Mhuscraí Gaeltacht) location already. For this reason the language conditions on such a housing development is paramount in preserving the Gaeltacht and for the growth of the language. At least other councils are tackling the issue, but to date Cork County Council is not,' Ms Moynihan said. Fianna Fáil councillor Gearóid Murphy said it was unfortunate that Cork County Council appeared to be the only local authority which hadn't adopted the terms of the 2000 Act, while fluent Irish speaker Fianna Fáil councillor Gillian Coughlan also voiced her support. Mid-Cork based Fine Gael councillor Michael Creed also said there has to be a commitment from the council to provide houses for Irish speakers in Gaeltacht areas. Council chief executive Moira Murrell said that a review is to take place shortly of the current County Development Plan and officials will give consideration to what the councillors had asked for when this happens.
1News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- 1News
UK bans pro-Palestinian groups under anti-terrorism laws
The pro-Palestinian activist group Palestine Action lost a bid to block the British government's decision to ban it under anti-terrorism laws after activists broke into a military base last month and vandalised two planes. At a hearing at the High Court in London, the group had sought to temporarily block what it considered to be an "authoritarian" ban, which will go into effect at midnight. The ban will make membership of the group and support of its actions a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. But Justice Martin Chamberlain, who spent all day listening to lawyers representing the group and the government, declined to give the organisation interim relief from the ban, which was first proposed by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and approved by lawmakers earlier this week. While conceding that the order to proscribe Palestine Action a terrorist organisation may have "wider consequences for the way the public understands the concept of 'terrorism'," he said it is not "the court's function to comment on the wisdom of the use of the power in the case". ADVERTISEMENT Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, was hoping the court would temporarily block the government from banning the group as a terrorist organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 before a potential legal challenge. Some 81 organisations are already proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Hamas and al-Qaida. Demonstrators during a protest by Palestine Action group in London. (Source: Associated Press) Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain had asked the court to suspend the "ill-considered" and "authoritarian abuse of statutory power" until a hearing, which is due around July 21. "This is the first time in our history that a direct action civil disobedience group, which does not advocate for violence, has been sought to be proscribed as terrorists," he said. He added that his client had been "inspired" by a long history of direct action in the UK, "from the suffragettes, to anti-apartheid activists, to Iraq War activists". The ban was triggered after pro-Palestinian activists broke into a Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton, damaging two planes using red paint and crowbars in protest at the British government's ongoing military support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Police said that the incident caused around 7 million pounds (NZ$15.7 million) worth of damage, with four people charged in connection with the incident. The four, aged between 22 and 35, were charged Thursday (local time) with conspiracy to commit criminal damage and conspiracy to enter a prohibited place for purposes prejudicial to the interests of the UK. No pleas were entered at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London and the four are scheduled to appear on July 18 at the Central Criminal Court. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation a few days after the break-in. She said the vandalism to the two planes was "disgraceful," adding that the group had a "long history of unacceptable criminal damage".
South Wales Guardian
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Some consequences of Palestine Action ban ‘overstated', says High Court judge
Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, asked the High Court to temporarily block the Government from banning the group as a terrorist organisation, before a potential legal challenge against the decision to proscribe it under the Terrorism Act 2000. Judge Mr Justice Chamberlain refused to grant the temporary block, finding there was a 'strong public interest in maintaining the order in force'. Lawyers for Palestine Action will now make a last-minute bid at the Court of Appeal to challenge this decision, as the ban is expected to come into force at midnight. In a 26-page judgment, Mr Justice Chamberlain said that 'some of the consequences feared by the claimant and others who have given evidence are overstated' if the temporary block was refused, but a later challenge against the ban succeeded. He continued: 'It will remain lawful for the claimant and other persons who were members of Palestine Action prior to proscription to continue to express their opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza and elsewhere, including by drawing attention to what they regard as Israel's genocide and other serious violations of international law. 'They will remain legally entitled to do so in private conversations, in print, on social media and at protests.' He added: 'It follows that it is hyperbole to talk of the claimant or others being 'gagged' in this respect, as the claimant has alleged. 'They could not incur criminal liability based on their past association with a group which was not proscribed at the time. 'That said, there is no doubt that there will be serious consequences if the order comes into effect immediately and interim relief is refused.' The judge later said that if people choose to continue to express support for Palestine Action post-proscription, they may face criminal consequences, adding: 'This, however, is the intended effect of the order. It is how it achieves its aim of disrupting the activities of the proscribed organisation.' The proposal to ban the group was approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords earlier this week and would make membership and support for the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Some 81 organisations are already proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Hamas, al Qaida and National Action. At the High Court hearing on Friday, Raza Husain KC, for Ms Ammori, asked the court to suspend the 'ill-considered' and 'authoritarian abuse of statutory power' until a hearing in the wider legal challenge, due around July 21. The hearing later in July is expected to deal with whether Ms Ammori can bring a High Court challenge over the planned proscription. Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told the High Court there was an 'insuperable hurdle' in the bid to temporarily block the banning of the group, adding it could challenge the Home Secretary's decision at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, a specialist tribunal, rather than at the High Court. Following the High Court's decision on Friday, Ms Ammori said: 'The Home Secretary is rushing through the implementation of the proscription at midnight tonight despite the fact that our legal challenge is ongoing and that she has been completely unclear about how it will be enforced, leaving the public in the dark about their rights to free speech and expression after midnight tonight when this proscription comes into effect. 'Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have expressed support for Palestine Action by joining our mailing list, following and sharing our social media content and signing petitions, and many, including iconic figures like Sally Rooney, say they will continue to declare 'we are all Palestine Action' and speak out against this preposterous proscription, demonstrating how utterly unworkable it will be.'
Glasgow Times
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Some consequences of Palestine Action ban ‘overstated', says High Court judge
Huda Ammori, the co-founder of Palestine Action, asked the High Court to temporarily block the Government from banning the group as a terrorist organisation, before a potential legal challenge against the decision to proscribe it under the Terrorism Act 2000. Judge Mr Justice Chamberlain refused to grant the temporary block, finding there was a 'strong public interest in maintaining the order in force'. Lawyers for Palestine Action will now make a last-minute bid at the Court of Appeal to challenge this decision, as the ban is expected to come into force at midnight. In a 26-page judgment, Mr Justice Chamberlain said that 'some of the consequences feared by the claimant and others who have given evidence are overstated' if the temporary block was refused, but a later challenge against the ban succeeded. He continued: 'It will remain lawful for the claimant and other persons who were members of Palestine Action prior to proscription to continue to express their opposition to Israel's actions in Gaza and elsewhere, including by drawing attention to what they regard as Israel's genocide and other serious violations of international law. 'They will remain legally entitled to do so in private conversations, in print, on social media and at protests.' He added: 'It follows that it is hyperbole to talk of the claimant or others being 'gagged' in this respect, as the claimant has alleged. 'They could not incur criminal liability based on their past association with a group which was not proscribed at the time. 'That said, there is no doubt that there will be serious consequences if the order comes into effect immediately and interim relief is refused.' The judge later said that if people choose to continue to express support for Palestine Action post-proscription, they may face criminal consequences, adding: 'This, however, is the intended effect of the order. It is how it achieves its aim of disrupting the activities of the proscribed organisation.' The proposal to ban the group was approved by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords earlier this week and would make membership and support for the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Some 81 organisations are already proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Hamas, al Qaida and National Action. At the High Court hearing on Friday, Raza Husain KC, for Ms Ammori, asked the court to suspend the 'ill-considered' and 'authoritarian abuse of statutory power' until a hearing in the wider legal challenge, due around July 21. The hearing later in July is expected to deal with whether Ms Ammori can bring a High Court challenge over the planned proscription. Ben Watson KC, for the Home Office, told the High Court there was an 'insuperable hurdle' in the bid to temporarily block the banning of the group, adding it could challenge the Home Secretary's decision at the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, a specialist tribunal, rather than at the High Court. Following the High Court's decision on Friday, Ms Ammori said: 'The Home Secretary is rushing through the implementation of the proscription at midnight tonight despite the fact that our legal challenge is ongoing and that she has been completely unclear about how it will be enforced, leaving the public in the dark about their rights to free speech and expression after midnight tonight when this proscription comes into effect. 'Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have expressed support for Palestine Action by joining our mailing list, following and sharing our social media content and signing petitions, and many, including iconic figures like Sally Rooney, say they will continue to declare 'we are all Palestine Action' and speak out against this preposterous proscription, demonstrating how utterly unworkable it will be.'
