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Items
No. |
Item |
1. |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
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2. |
DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL INTEREST INCLUDING ANY PARTY WHIPS ISSUED IN RELATION TO ANY AGENDA ITEM.
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Minutes:
There were no declarations of personal
interest or of any prohibited party whips.
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3. |
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
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4. |
A TREE AND WOODLAND STRATEGY FOR CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL 2023-2028 PDF 145 KB
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Minutes:
The Committee considered the draft Tree and
Woodland Strategy for Carmarthenshire County Council
2023-2028. The Strategy was presented
by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and
Sustainability.
The strategy addressed the Authority’s
responsibilities for managing trees and woodlands as well as
opportunities for new planting.
The Committee noted that the strategy was
consistent with the Tree and Woodland Strategy Tool Kit for Local
Authorities. Included as an appendix to
the report was the Authority’s Ash Dieback Strategy.
A number of comments/queries
were raised. The main matters were as
follows:-
- It was noted that the Authority was
proposing the planting of 33ha of woodland per annuum and a minimum
of 10% on tenanted Authority farms. The
viability of achieving this 10% target was questioned. The Rural Conservation Manager advised that the
10% figure by 2030 was consistent with the Welsh Government's
voluntary new sustainable farming scheme. The 10% target was aspirational but that farmers
who signed up to the new farming support scheme would have to abide
by it.
- Concern was expressed about the
planting of 33ha of new woodland per annum and the impact on the
tenanted farms which were small in size. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change,
Decarbonisation and Sustainability, assured the Committee that the
strategy would be shaped by putting the right tree in the right
place for the right reason. He said feedback would be welcome as
the strategy was developed further. It
was further noted that the 19% tree cover figure for council-owned
land aligned with recommendations by the UK Committee on Climate
Change and the Woodland Trust but was not statutory. There would also be a focus on tree planting in
urban areas.
- It was asked how success of planting
would be measured, such as the impact on the environment, animal
and bird count. The Committee was
advised that calculations for carbon capture would be used and that
the whole spectrum of benefits would be looked at including the
reduction of flooding and water runoff.
- The Committee stressed that the
implications of planting woodland needed careful consideration as
once planted the land was lost to farming and to the reduction of
food production. The type of trees the
Council proposed to plant would be important as ground under
conifers was lifeless. It was stated
that a high percentage of new broad leaf trees and shrubs would be
planted but that some Scots pines, might be part of the mix for
their landscape value. It was stressed
that planting would be done sensitively on a site,-by-site
basis.
- It was stated that broad leaf trees
took tens of years to lock up carbon, and that there was a pressing
climate crisis. The Rural Conservation
Manager suggested that broad leaf trees may lock up more carbon
eventually than conifers, which grew faster and that a cautious
approach was required.
- In response to a statement that
well-managed grassland sequestered more carbon than trees, the
Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Decarbonisation and
Sustainability advised he would welcome a ...
view the full minutes text for item 4.
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5. |
PHOSPHATE LEVELS IN PROTECTED RIVERINE SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION - UPDATE PDF 125 KB
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Minutes:
The Committee received an update from the
Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs & Planning Policy regarding
the progress and work undertaken in responding to the impacts of
phosphate pollution in protected Special Areas of Conservation.
A number of comments/queries
were raised. The main matters were as
follows:-
- In response to a
query regarding why the River Taf wasn’t included in the
programme of work, the Nutrient Management Board Programme Manager
agreed that excess phosphates was having an impact on all rivers
however the focus was currently on rivers designated with SAC
(Special Areas of Conservation) status.
The Committee was advised that NRW (National Resources Wales) was
responsible for attributing SAC status.
- Concern was expressed
about the amount of chemicals required to remove phosphates and the
complexity of resolving the issues. The
Committee was advised that collaborative working would be required
and that there were many nature-based solutions that could provide
benefits resulting in improved air quality and reduction in
flooding.
- The Nutrient
Management Board Programme Manager highlighted that the Authority
had created a calculator for developers to quantify how much
phosphate their scheme would generate.
The committee heard that the calculator has been accepted by the
Welsh Government and NRW and was being rolled out to the rest of
Wales. The calculator would assist
developers to quantify how much phosphate their scheme would
generate.
- In response to a
request for clarification regarding the credit scheme, the
Committee was advised that this was a scheme whereby developers
would buy credits for new homes in river catchment areas affected
by phosphate pollution. The idea is
that wetlands and other nature-based ways of mitigating phosphates
present in sewage and agricultural run-off and damaging to rivers
would be created. The wetlands would
then generate credits to be sold to developers as a means of
mitigating the phosphate impact of new properties in river
catchment areas designated as special areas of conservation
(SAC). Credit trading would be an
alternative to developers coming up with their own phosphate
mitigation measures for their schemes.
- The Cabinet stated
that they wanted to see less sewage discharge into
rivers. In response to this concern the
Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs & Planning Policy
confirmed that 65% of the phosphate pollution in the
Teifi was from sewage and that agriculture was not the
problem. The proportion of phosphate
pollution from sewage in the Cleddau was a lot less than 65%, and
that the percentage wasn't yet known in the Towy. It was noted that Dwr Cymru are limited by their
existing infrastructure and that an investment programme was in
progress to reduce the discharge into rivers. It was also stated that the public could help in
terms of what they flushed down the toilet.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that
the Phosphate Levels in Protected Riverine Special Areas of
Conservation Update be received.
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6. |
FORTHCOMING ITEMS PDF 87 KB
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7. |
TO SIGN AS A CORRECT RECORD THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE HELD ON THE 23RD JANUARY 2023 PDF 132 KB
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