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29/11/2011 08:36:32
AONB decision will stultify farm growth potential
NFU Cymru has expressed disappointment at today’s Welsh Government decision to extend the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designation to include Ruabon and Llantysilio Mountains and the Vale of Llangollen from Chirk upstream to Corwen.
The Union has argued consistently against the ’unnecessary’ proposal by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) on the grounds that the ensuing strict planning policies will mean farmers are unable to grow their businesses and take advantage of improvements in technology. It is concerned that the AONB designation was rushed and that genuine questions raised by farmers and residents alike had not been adequately addressed and in some cases were completely ignored.
Eifion Davies, NFU Cymru Glyn Ceiriog Branch Chairman whose farmland is affected by the decision said, ’These landscapes are not ’natural’ but are the result of centuries of farming. Without sustainable agriculture and healthy local economies these landscapes would not be maintained and preserved and if our communities are to remain viable and healthy we need the freedom to develop. What we don’t need is the restrictive approach that comes with an AONB, which will lead to an artificial and unsustainable preservation of a landscape. The CCW is getting away with designating and labelling parts of the countryside inappropriately and unfortunately the Minister responsible for Environment and Sustainable Development John Griffiths has sided with the CCW.
’It would seem to us that the proposals were progressed with inappropriate haste and the consultation itself should have started at a much earlier stage. When it was launched, it lacked the provision of some important work, notably an impact assessment, a study of the potential costs associated with planning and a better explanation of what designation brings over and above current measures and powers to address the specific key issues affecting the study area. The CCW Council met just three working days after the deadline closed and this undue haste suggests to us that perhaps not enough thought and conscientious consideration had been given to the diverse range of consultation responses. The decision will considerably restrict our ability to develop our farms properly and it comes at a time when population is forecast to increase dramatically along with food prices,’ Mr Davies added.
The Union has argued consistently against the ’unnecessary’ proposal by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) on the grounds that the ensuing strict planning policies will mean farmers are unable to grow their businesses and take advantage of improvements in technology. It is concerned that the AONB designation was rushed and that genuine questions raised by farmers and residents alike had not been adequately addressed and in some cases were completely ignored.
Eifion Davies, NFU Cymru Glyn Ceiriog Branch Chairman whose farmland is affected by the decision said, ’These landscapes are not ’natural’ but are the result of centuries of farming. Without sustainable agriculture and healthy local economies these landscapes would not be maintained and preserved and if our communities are to remain viable and healthy we need the freedom to develop. What we don’t need is the restrictive approach that comes with an AONB, which will lead to an artificial and unsustainable preservation of a landscape. The CCW is getting away with designating and labelling parts of the countryside inappropriately and unfortunately the Minister responsible for Environment and Sustainable Development John Griffiths has sided with the CCW.
’It would seem to us that the proposals were progressed with inappropriate haste and the consultation itself should have started at a much earlier stage. When it was launched, it lacked the provision of some important work, notably an impact assessment, a study of the potential costs associated with planning and a better explanation of what designation brings over and above current measures and powers to address the specific key issues affecting the study area. The CCW Council met just three working days after the deadline closed and this undue haste suggests to us that perhaps not enough thought and conscientious consideration had been given to the diverse range of consultation responses. The decision will considerably restrict our ability to develop our farms properly and it comes at a time when population is forecast to increase dramatically along with food prices,’ Mr Davies added.
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