Public meeting calls for Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty designation to protect Welsh valley

Stephen Price

A public meeting has welcomed calls for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) designation for the Tywi Valley to protect it from the threat posed by windfarms and pylon chains.

The meeting at the White Hart in on Saturday 31 October organised by Our Tywi Valley repeated calls for the AONB designation for the Tywi Valley to protect it from imminent industrialisation.

The Tywi Valley (Dyffryn Tywi) in Carmarthenshire, is a scenic and historic landscape shaped by the 75-mile River Tywi, the longest river flowing entirely within Wales.

Pylon schemes, including Bute Energy’s 70-mile chain to Nant Mithil, continue, with new schemes joining them to connect wind farms and energy parks in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion which could soon be home to the largest electricity substations in Western Europe.

Planning for the new, “monster” 34-acre Llandyfaelog substation is already underway.

Despite the pleas of residents, the Tywi remains front and centre in the industrialisation plans for Mid and West Wales. A third of Carmarthenshire’s countryside is allocated for industrial wind development by the Welsh Government in Future Wales 2040.

Our Tywi Valley Chair, Daljit Singh, commented: “We were delighted with the turnout at our meeting from Tywi Valley residents and beyond. There was overwhelming support for the designation of the Tywi Valley as an AONB at our meeting.

“There are plans afoot for dozens of wind farm developments in North Carmarthenshire and southern Ceredigion. All of these turbines and energy parks will require a pylon chain connecting them to the Llandyfaelog substation.

“We’re calling for residents, farmers, business owners and all those interested in the future of the Tywi Valley to join us to build the next stage of our campaign. Residents have already derailed the developers’ plans. We hope to put a final stop to them.”

Havard Hughes, Our Tywi Valley Vice Chair, commented: “With a third of Carmarthenshire set to be industrialised to meet Carmarthenshire’s 588.5 MW renewables energy target, we want to preserve one of West Wales’ hidden gems for future generations.

“The Tywi is feted by artists and poets and steeped in the history of Wales and these islands. The Tywi valley should be the heart of Carmarthenshire’s £731 million annual tourism sector not a superhighway for windfarm greed.

“The Tywi Valley already qualifies for outstanding natural beauty status. This meeting was the first step in building a consensus around an official AONB/National Landscape designation before it is too late.

“Our historic landscape should not be destroyed so that the Welsh Government can tick a climate target box.”

The Welsh Government said: “Natural Resources Wales decides on designating Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Any decision is based on strict assessment of natural beauty, not on preventing development.”

“Energy infrastructure should be designed and located sensitively, to minimise the impact on the environment and local communities while delivering the greatest possible benefits for Wales.

“Our National Energy Strategy will provide a clear, long-term vision for Wales’s energy future. We are also consulting on a new planning policy for Wales that would put undergrounding first for new 11-132kV electricity lines.”