Is Cardiff council living up to its promise to protect nature?

Martin Shipton

Cardiff Civic Society has produced a map identifying as many as 31 residents’ campaigns in the capital over recent years aimed at protecting green spaces and trees.

The production of the map illustrates the gap in perception between Cardiff council, which insists it is committed to protecting the city’s natural environment, and the views of those who have participated in such campaigns.

Penny Owen, the Cardiff resident who compiled the list of campaigns that appear on the map, said: “Having been involved in a campaign to try and save 23 acres of an urban meadow, I became aware of just how many other campaigns there have been across Cardiff to try and save urban nature over the last decade or so. That local people have had to organise themselves on 31 separate occasions to try and save nature in Cardiff is just shocking. The people of Cardiff are inspiring in their love of nature, and it really is time that Welsh Labour politicians caught up with people on the importance of nature for us all.

“The loss of the 23 acre meadow [to build the New Velindre Cancer Centre], even though it was designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation, is the biggest recent loss of an urban designated green space in Wales. Nearly 14,000 people signed a petition to save the meadow and hundreds campaigned for years, while Welsh Labour politicians at all levels just sat on their hands and allowed this destruction of nature to happen.

“Why is Cardiff council so far behind the curve when it comes to looking after our city’s green spaces and mature trees? At the heart of all of this is the question who benefits from the land that makes up our city. Is it Cardiff residents who benefit physically and emotionally from these green spaces and trees, or is it developers and contractors who benefit financially from building on this land? Has Cardiff council encouraged the pendulum to swing too far in favour of developers?”

Complete list

Nerys Lloyd-Pierce, who chairs Cardiff Civic Society, said: “We would like to have a complete list of all nature campaigns in Cardiff over the last 10 years or so. If there are any such campaigns we have missed out, whether this involved just a few people or more, please let us know by emailing us at [email protected]

“All of these campaigns, whatever their size, have involved local people in huge amounts of their time and energy. Cardiff Civic Society thanks each and every one of you for your commitment to saving nature in Cardiff. Many of these campaigns had to run for years, for example the Reservoir Action Group campaigned from 2001 to 2023 and at one stage had over 2,000 members. Others ran petitions which gathered thousands of signatures. The Save the Northern Meadows petition has nearly 14,000 signatures, and Save Roath Mill and Roath Brook Gardens had 8,700 signatures.

“The key question for Cardiff Council to consider is why is it so out of step with thousands of Cardiff residents when it comes to the value we place on the city’s green space and mature trees?”

‘Significant steps’

Cardiff council has a different perspective. Welcoming a Woodland Trust policy paper published in December 2023 that set out the importance of trees and woods for nature recovery in Wales, Cllr Jen Burke, Cardiff council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events said: “The rapid decline of nature in Wales and beyond in recent years is deeply concerning and since declaring a nature emergency in 2021, the Council has taken significant steps to support its recovery, and has already implemented, or begun to implement, all of the measures that the Woodland Trust recommend local authorities should take.

“At the heart of what we’re doing is our ambitious urban forest project, Coed Caerdydd. Part of our strategic approach to tree and woodland management, the project aims to increase tree canopy coverage in Cardiff from 18.9% to 25% by 2030, by planting an area of roughly 839 hectares with mainly native species of trees.

“We’re off to a fantastic start, with 50,000 trees planted on council and some privately-owned land over just two planting seasons – and that’s down in no small part to the community volunteers who help us plant them, but who also help identify potential planting sites, help choose the trees, and provide additional support and care for the trees as they grow. With support from the Woodland Trust, we’re also developing a Tree Nursery at Forest Farm where we are propagating native stock of local provenance, which can then be planted as part of the project.

“Cardiff needs to grow in order to support new jobs and provide much-needed homes for people, but it’s important that growth is managed in a sustainable way that supports nature. That’s why, as part of our replacement Local Development Plan, we’re aiming to ensure that all development achieves a net gain in biodiversity and protects well in excess of 5,500 hectares of countryside and river valleys in the city from development.”

Alarming

In January 2025 the Senedd’s Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee issued its report on the Welsh Government’s failure to halt the alarming decline of nature in Wales.

Llŷr Gruffydd, the committee chair, said when the report was published: “Wales’ nature is disappearing at an alarming rate.

“After decades of pollution, urbanisation, and the impact of climate change, Wales’ nature is in trouble.”