Plaid Cymru Sustainability spokesperson Leanne Wood has strongly criticised the Crown Estate for not employing a single permanent member of staff in Wales – despite raking in a gross surplus of £2.3m in 2009-10.
The revelation comes as the Crown Estate is set for a multi-million pound windfall from the development of wind farms – with Leanne Wood, who is seeking re-election in the South Wales Central region, believing the benefits of natural resources should go to the people of Wales.
Leanne Wood said: “The Crown Estate makes, and will make even more money, from Wales, yet don’t employ a single permanent worker in the country.
“They say they do have one employee who lives in Wales and spends much of his working life here. They take plenty from Wales but are not giving anything back.”
A Freedom of Information request by Plaid’s Sustainability Spokesperson has revealed that the existing offshore wind farms in north Wales at North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats generated income to the Crown Estate of almost £400,000 in 2009-10.
And that is set to multiply many times with the development of other sites. Construction of the Gwynt-y-Mor wind project is due to start this year and the Crown Estate told Leanne Wood it also had a zone development agreement with Centrica to develop up to 4.2 gigawatts, covering both Welsh and English waters.
In addition, the Crown Estate has onshore options for three wind farms at Lys Dymper with Wind Power Wales, at Llanllwni with RES Renewables and Cilfaesty with RWE Power. Planning applications have been submitted for the first two.
The annual report of Crown Estate showed its Welsh holdings generated a gross surplus of £2.3m in 2009-10 with capital receipts bringing in £1.8m. It owns more than 3,000 acres across Wales, principally agricultural holdings. Profits earned by the Crown Estate are paid to the Treasury, according to them, for “the benefit of the nation”.
Last year it was revealed that the Royal Family had secured a lucrative deal that will earn them tens of millions of pounds from the massive expansion of offshore wind farms.
They will net up to £37.5 million extra income every year from the drive for green energy because the seabed within Britain’s territorial waters is owned by the Crown Estate.
Leanne Wood said: “Virtually all the UK’s sea bed, including that in Wales, up to 12 nautical miles and more than half the UK foreshore is owned by the Crown Estate.
“The two North Wales wind farms generated £389,000 in income over the last financial year and that is set to grow into millions of pounds over the next few years with the increasing drive for more green energy. Many onshore and offshore projects are on the cards.
“Plaid’s view is that it is high time that profits which are earned from Wales’ natural resources, the seabed and the land should be owned by the Welsh Government for benefit of the people of Wales and not into the Treasury’s coffers, which is passed into an already excessively wealthy Royal Family.
“We don’t want to repeat the situation where huge profits were made from the coal industry but Wales did not enjoy the benefits and is still paying the price today.”
