Ancient woodland protection 'weakened'

Changes to Welsh Government planning rules could open up the country's ancient woodlands to development, a charity has warned.

The Woodland Trust said it was "extremely concerned" about the way the latest policy had been worded.

It claimed protection had been weakened, offering a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for developers.

But the Welsh Government said its new planning policy "recognises the importance" of ancient woodland.

A public consultation is currently taking place on the 10th edition of Planning Policy Wales (PPW).

It has been revised to take account of commitments made by ministers around house building and energy generation, as well as the passing of the Well-Being of Future Generation Act which forces all public bodies to consider the long term impact of their decisions.

'Irreplaceable habitats'

The document emphasises that it must reconcile the needs of development and conservation.

But the Woodland Trust highlighted that the way it accounted for ancient woodlands had been altered for the first time since 2002.

These are wooded areas that have existed in Wales since at least 1600, with some including remnants of the original wildwood that covered the UK after the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago.

Because they have matured over centuries they have many unique features and are considered the richest land-based habitat for wildlife.

They make up just over 4% of the land area in Wales.

The original policy defined them as "irreplaceable habitats" which should be protected from development.

But the revised document changes that to "irreplaceable natural resources", and says instead that "every effort should be made" to prevent damage and "unnecessary loss".

Rory Francis, the charity's communications officer in Wales said the new wording "significantly rolls back" on the protections that were already in place.

"We are extremely concerned about the latest draft of planning policy in Wales," he said.

"The original policy said very clearly that developments which significantly damage ancient woodland should not go ahead. The latest draft only says they should be protected from unnecessary damage.

"Our concern is that it is a get-out-of-jail card for any landowner or road planner whose plans involve destroying ancient woodland and we really hope the government will think again.

"We think it sends out the worst possible signal at a time post-Brexit, when we're thinking about how our landscape is going to be looked after."

The Welsh Government urged people to share their views on its new planning policy by 18 May and said it "recognises the importance of ancient and semi-natural woodlands and how they should be afforded additional levels of protection."

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CASE STUDY: LEADBROOK WOOD, FLINTSHIRE

Proposals for a new dual carriageway in Flintshire threatens Leadbrook Wood near Northop, an ancient woodland believed to have been in place since Roman times.

The road, predicted to cost £280m, is designed to tackle congestion around the notorious Queensferry A494 bottleneck, and will be built through 138 acres of farmland, with the Welsh Government promising mitigation measures and new tree-planting to account for the loss of wooded areas.

Robert Hodgkinson's 150-acre organic farm borders the forest, and he claims the impact will be "devastating".

"The unique aspect of this area is that it is unspoilt. It's a steep ravine which couldn't have been reclaimed for farming, so that's why it's stayed as woodland for all this time.

"Obviously the flora and fauna within the wood have established themselves over that long period of time and are irreplaceable."

Mr Hodgkinson favours upgrading the existing A55 as well as doing more to promote public transport in north east Wales to get people out of their cars rather than building a brand new road.

But he fears the updated planning policy from Welsh Government could mean ancient woodlands in other areas are affected.

"By changing a few words in the legislation they will open up the possibility of doing this without any hesitation at all.

"I'm extremely annoyed and cannot believe the Welsh Government have the face to do this."