RSPB South Stack, why is the building work taking place now?

Here at South Stack we are busy working away to ensure all our visitors have the best experience possible whilst building work is ongoing.  It may not be ideal for our visitors that we are partially closed during the busy summer season but there are reasons behind it. 

One of the main reasons behind doing the work at this time of year is the weather.  Carrying out the work when the weather is good has meant that we have been able to have temporary facilities on site.  We would not have been able to have portaloos and catering facilities here with the high winds and bad weather we often experience out of season.  This has meant that we have been able to keep our permanent staff employed and also employ 4 seasonal staff.  Our catering staff are working out of two vans selling sandwiches, hot and cold drinks and Mon ar Lwy ice cream.  Our retail staff are working in visitor experience in a welcome van and at Ellin’s Tower.   Of course the good weather also means our contractors should have less days when they can't work.

A further reason that the building work is going on now is that part of the funding we have received to support the project has to be spent by September 2019.  We must have the fabric of the new building in place by then.  This meant that we could not postpone the work until later in the year as claims must be submitted to deadlines. 

The team are doing their very best to manage the experience our visitors have and we apologise if you experience any inconvenience during your visit.

This critical redevelopment of the site has been made possible with support through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-20, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government. Together with our own financial contribution, this redevelopment equates to over £1m investment in the site, and years of work to help ensure a quality attraction, safeguard jobs and visitor services in the area.