AONB Designation - Recent Activity

The centrepiece of CMS’s strategy for the Cambrian Mountains is a vibrant economy powered by and dependent on the conservation of its environment – its landscape, history and culture. We have, from the outset, argued that designation of the Cambrian Mountains as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty was an essential first step.

The Society works continuously to further this aim, and recent activity relating to its campaign is summarised below.

1.	CMS had a supportive and constructive meeting with Morgan Parry, Chairman since March 2010 of the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW). He has also agreed to address our 2011 AGM (22nd October).
2.	We have set up a sub committee to concentrate on developing a road map of the way to achieving AONB status.
3.	We are developing liaison with the Cambrian Mountains Initiative – a scheme initiated by the Prince of Wales which has some overlaps with our own ideas. In particular it aims to help promote rural enterprise, protect the environment and add value to products and services in Mid Wales (but does not include AONB status).
4.	We have had meetings with managers of selected existing AONBs.
5.	The proposed extension of the Clwydian Range AONB is at last moving ahead after about 10 years of delay. CCW naturally devoted a large amount of its landscape protection effort to this project, with the result that other proposals received a low priority. We hope that progress in the Clwydians may work to our advantage, though the length of time it has taken is less encouraging.
6.	We have had discussions on AONB status with selected Community Councils.
7.	We are keeping track of the Welsh Assembly Government’s proposals for a Natural Environment Framework - which is likely to involve a complete rethink of designations in Wales (and is the main reason for the difficulty we are experiencing in getting CCW to move faster on our AONB proposal). The CCW Chairman will explain this in more detail at our AGM.
8.	Following advice from the chief executive of the National Association of AONBs that the Nant y Moch windfarm proposal would be inconsistent with AONB status for that area we have pressed ahead with developing the case against the windfarm proposal (including participating in the recent Cardiff demonstration).

It will be clear from all this that a Cambrian Mountains AONB is not going to be achieved overnight, and will require a lot of work on many fronts, possibly for a number of years. However, CMS remains confident - the positive experience of existing AONBs gives ample grounds - that AONB status would bring great and lasting benefits to the Cambrian Mountains.

This view received authorative support from a 2009 report commissioned by CCW: Pathfinder – Testing the Appropriateness of Designation. Click the link to read a summary of its findings, and an assessment of what they may mean for the CMS campaign.

TOP OF PAGE