The idea of a new housing development on the derelict wharf in Porthmadog was first raised in 1963, when Wolverhampton builders John Mclean & Sons received outline planning permission to build 41 cottages and 129 flats. The scheme was revived in 1967 when Graham Bourne and Dennis Jeavons joined forces to propose a development of 132 flats and maisonettes. Bourne was the founder of Bourne Leisure and the owner of the nearby Greenacres caravan park at Black Rock Sands, while Jeavons was the founder of the Gailey Group, then the country’s largest caravan dealer.
This was intended as the first stage of a much grander project: a 900-unit marina development with a hotel, yacht club, ballroom, shops, restaurants, and even a boatbuilder’s yard. Priced between £2,700 and £4,700, the units were marketed towards the “busy Midlands industrialist” seeking either a weekend retreat or a sound investment property.
Costing £500,000, construction began in August 1967—but the project quickly ran into trouble with the local authority. Chief among the disputes was the council’s insistence on slate roofs, a requirement dating back to the original planning application. Bourne objected, claiming that using locally quarried slate would add £250 to the cost of each unit and that the sizes he required were not available in sufficient quantity. Ignoring the stipulation, he pressed ahead.
In what was later described as an “act of defiance,” Bourne installed asbestos tiles on the first five units. The move ignited a major controversy and led to a full-scale dispute. Although one councillor admitted he “couldn’t tell the difference,” the council regarded this as a flagrant breach of planning and referred the matter to a public inquiry overseen by the Secretary of State for Wales.
In 1968, the verdict came down in favour of the council. The developers were ordered to complete the units with slate roofs as originally stipulated. Though the homes were eventually finished in line with the ruling, the outcome left a bitter taste. Frustrated by what he saw as “consistently obstructive decisions,” Bourne abandoned the second phase of the development entirely.
He soon turned his attention to Port Dinorwic, where in 1973 he announced ambitious plans for a £3 million scheme including 500 new homes and a marina with a “luxurious” yacht club and other facilities.
Sadly, Bourne died the following year, and the project never came to fruition. His company, Bourne Leisure, was later sold and eventually grew into one of the largest holiday park operators in the country.
We’d love to hear your stories and memories of South Snowdon Harbour. Please feel free to leave a comment below.
