North Wales hydroelectric project would harm waterfall, say opponents

It is considered one of the most majestic waterfalls in Wales, a mist-shrouded torrent that has inspired storytellers and artists for centuries. But a fierce row has broken out over a scheme to harness the force of Rhaeadr y Cwm to generate electricity, with one of Wales's foremost naturalists, Iolo Williams, the latest to oppose the project.

- Steven Morris

Williams, who is a presenter on programmes including the BBC's Springwatch, has added his voice to 1,000 protesters who fear that it would damage one of the most spectacular sights in Eryri (Snowdonia) and harm an important habitat for precious ferns and mosses.

The rugged landscape around Rhaeadr y Cwm, near the village of Llan Ffestiniog, is associated with the Mabinogi, a medieval masterpiece and one of Britain's earliest examples of prose, and was famously painted by David Cox, considered one of England's greatest landscape painters, in the 19th century.

Three brothers behind the project, who farm the land, say the Cwm Cynfal project will provide power for 700 households and will not harm the landscape but "dissolve" into it.