In reply to Sl@te Head: I think that's a reason why people should discuss it and certainly be worried about it. It's good for them to be aware that any loss of the quarries would hugely impact on the locals and also on tourism (and yes locals also means people who weren't born here..that's the one thing that does my nut in and something I've read on here before). I train in there on a very regular basis, one of my favourite rep sessions is all the steps from the slate museam to the top access road, on top of that the quarry is an integral part of Wales's toughest long distance mountain challenge and also part of at least one current race (which official permission is granted).
It's not just some scruffy set of quarries used by climbers it will impact on a whole range of user groups.
Personally I think and hope they just limit the fenceing off to very accessible areas, in effect just making it more difficult.
There's no point bleating on after the routes have been lost, 'oh well we never knew', will be the response.
It would be great for the quarries to recieve some sort of protected status but I worry that any official protection would come hand in hand with a ban on liesure activities which is the last thing I want to see. It's great that they are now used as a liesure/training area.
I know of at least 4 groups of the outdoors community who use the various quarries and the associated access roads either in events or informal and formal training sessions.
It is a wait and see time, I agree don't act, but I see nothing wrong with discussing future loss and the impact it will have.