The Government has launched its new strategy for sustainable development in the UK. The strategy sets out the Government's objectives for sustainable development and provides the framework for future decision-making across Government. Four objectives are identified:

• social progress which recognises the needs of everyone;
• effective protection of the environment;
• prudent use of natural resources; and,
• maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.

These reflect the broad concerns of the current Government and its particular focus on the importance of social issues as part of the sustainable development debate.

The strategy also identifies a range of 'guiding principles' of sustainable development for future decision-making. Among others, these include putting people at the centre; taking long-term views; combating poverty and social exclusion; making the polluter pay and respecting environmental limits.

In addition, the strategy includes a list of 15 'headline' indicators of sustainable development. These are supplemented by over 100 other indicators in the document. While there is not a specific 'countryside' indicator in the list of 15, there are others that are important. For example these include indicators on ,the level of road traffic, river water quality, the populations of wild birds, and the proportion of new homes built on previously developed land. The Government will report annually on the status of these indicators.

Copies of the strategy, 'A Better Quality of Life - A Strategy for Sustainable Development for the UK' (Cm 4345) are available from The Stationery Office, price £11.80, ISBN 0 10 143452 9. A free leaflet 'Monitoring Progress' which outlines the headline indicators can be obtained from DETR Free Literature, Tel:0870 1226 236 or Fax:0870 1226 237 or Web Site: www.detr.gov.uk Branch Secretaries will be sent copies.

At the same time, the Welsh Development Agency have issued their own consultation on the subject. Their aim is to develop a practical and positive approach aimed at optimising conditions for the long term sustainable growth of the Welsh economy which will necessitate the integration of social, economic and environmental considerations into all aspects of their work. Within the document the WDA pose a series of propositions as to the form their policy response to sustainable development may take, and the types of direct practical activity which they could deliver.

The Director drew attention to this importance consultation at the June meeting of Council and said that he would welcome, by the end of July, any contributions towards the response which CPRW will be making. Copies of the document can be obtained from WDA Tel: 0345 775577 Fax: 01443 845589 E-mail: enquiries@wda.co.uk

CPRW's High Court challenge to the decision on Cemaes 'B' (see Branch Bulletin No. 58), has now been listed and soon we expect to be given a date for a hearing. Neither of the respondents, the Secretary of State for Wales nor Powys County Council have responded, within the time allowed, to the action nor did they ask for an extension of time.

The Planning Officer of Conwy County Borough Council recommended that the proposal for 28 turbines, at Mynydd Hiraethog on the Denbigh Moors be allowed. CCW asked the Secretary of State to call-it in for his own determination and this request was supported by CPRW and many of the other organisations opposing this application. Nothing was heard from Welsh Office and the application went to a full meeting of Conwy Council on 17th June. Following a lengthy debate the proposal was rejected by 20 votes to 19. CPRW's Director, Merfyn Williams was at the meeting and afterwards said that he was immensely pleased with the standard of the debate in that the Councillors quite clearly appreciated the difficulties associated with the project and had appraised them in the context of the local development plan quoting policies on landscape and nature conservation.

We subsequently received a letter from Welsh Office saying that as Conwy Council have refused planning permission, he will not intervene. It has been reported that the developers intend to appeal.

At the same meeting, the Councillors also considered the much smaller application (just 3 turbines) at Mynydd Glyn Lws, Betws yn Rhos. In this case the Planning Officer had recommended refusal and the Councillors did just that.

The local residents living near Nant Carfan, Llanbrynmair in Montgomeryshire, organised a public meeting, on Friday 2nd July, opposing the application for 16 turbines. Chaired by Assembly Member, Mick Bates, over 100 people attended. The meeting was addressed by Merfyn Williams, CPRW consultant, Geoff Sinclair, and CPRW members, Glenys Jones and Marion Rees.

The National Grid has published a statement with relation to its activities within National Parks in which they promise to:

• recognise that the unique nature of National Parks will necessitate special arrangements being made before work commences;
• seek to minimise any adverse impact on the environment, local communities and visitor enjoyment and where disruption is unavoidable employ best practicable mitigation measures;
• plan construction, routine maintenance and refurbishment work within National Parks allowing sufficient time for consultations to take place with appropriate parties;
• seek continually to improve working practices in National Parks by utilising the best practicable construction and maintenance techniques to minimise the impact on the environment.

Branches within National Parks will receive copies of the Statement or they can be obtained from the Planning and Environment Group, National Grid Tel 01203 537777 Fax. 01203 423582

The Woodland Trust have been awarded ERDF funding for their 'Woods on Your Doorstep' project in the Objective 5 area of rural Wales. Under this scheme they aim to create twelve sites by March 2001. 17 sites are currently under investigation but they are still interested in hearing of other potential areas which meet their criteria. It needs to be:

• between 1 and 20 acres in size - that's 1-20 football pitches!
• within walking distance of where people live
• suitable for tree planting
• and most importantly where people really want a wood and are willing to help raise funds to match those already secured.

Further details can be obtained from Head Office.

The Countryside Council for Wales is asking for your help in locating the very rare mole cricket. During warm nights in spring and summer, males attract females with a characteristic 'purring' sound which has earned the insect names such as 'jarr worms' and 'eve-churr'. Its song can sometimes be heard more than 500 metres away.

The mole cricket is one of the largest and most spectaular insects and it can grow up to 5cm in length. It has enormous front legs which are adapted for digging as it spends much of its life tunnelling the soil in damp areas which are close to water. Despite its size, it is an elusive insect.

Roger Matthews, at CCW's Newtown office, said "Mole crickets are very secretive insects and their call sounds very much like the crickets that we hear in the fields or gardens, except that the sound is muted because it comes from burrow entrances. Sometimes in summer they may also take to the air with a clumsy and noisy flight. If you do happen to spot one they are a light-chestnut colour and almost entirely covered with velvety-like hairs.

"Mole crickets are now confined to a few areas in South and Mid Wales but they were once more widespread. We believe that they were heard in Montgomeryshire last year, but we need to confirm these sightings. Their numbers have been reduced to a critical level and they are now thought to be in immediate danger of extinction."

So if you hear or see these fascinating creatures do let Roger Matthews know on 01686 613400. CCW will then try to protect their habitats and re-establish their populations.

This time it is the Environment Agency asking for local people in the River Tywi catchment to report any sightings of the rare and protected shad.

Once common and fished for commercially along the River Severn, the shad - also known as "May fish" or "Gwangen" in Welsh - is now a rare and threatened fish. The two species of shad, allis and twaite, are notable for their highly attractive silvery bodies with distinctive large scales and eyes. Members of the herring family, shad live in coastal waters and estuaries for much of the year until April when they move inland to breed. Spawning takes place in May and June after a long swim upstream of anything up to 100 kilometres.

The Tywi was recently designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) under the EC Habitats and Species Directive for its population of shad.

Shad can be caught by netsmen and anglers fishing for sewin and salmon and should be carefully returned to the river or sea as soon as possible with a minimum of handling. Anglers may notice spawning - accompanied by much thrashing and splashing around - at night in the shallow tails of pools. Whether merely a sighting or a returned catch, the Agency is keen to hear the details so that the location can be noted and the work to conserve this rare fish can continue. Reports should be made to the South West Wales Conservation Officer on 01792 6455300.

A leaflet 'Allis and Twaite Shad - A Conservation Message' has been published jointly by the Agency and CCW and is available from Agency local offices on 0645 333111.

We include some tips for a more sustainable lifestyle with each branch bulletin. Any suggestions for items would be most welcome and a low energy lightbulb will be sent to contributors whose tips are published.

1. Go slower in your car: driving at 70 mph can use 30% more fuel than driving at 50mph.

2. Check your tyre pressures: if your car is only slightly under-inflated (say 4-6psi) it can use up to 30% more fuel.

3. Cut down wind resistance: a fully loaded roof rack will increase motorway consumption by 30%.

4. If everyone in the UK washed their laundry just 10 degrees cooler, we would need one less 250MW power station.

Sources:

• Environment Agency Wales
• Green Futures - the magazine of Forum for the Future

Do come and visit us when we are out and about this summer. Once again we will have our own stand at the Royal Welsh Show (Monday 19th to Thursday 22nd July) in the Countryside Care Area. Look for the CPRW flags or find the otters and you will find us! At the National Eisteddfod (Saturday July 31st to Saturday August 8th) in Anglesey we will be within the 'Maes a Mon' environment pavilion.

Our Web Site is now up and running and can be viewed at www.cprw.org.uk It is a little thin on policy matters at present but will be added to regularly. For instance, Liaison Officer, Helen Mrowiec is working with our two Local Agenda 21 Officers, Sue Walton and Claire Morgan, to provide extensive information on Local Agenda 21 initiatives throughout Wales. We will soon be adding information on vernacular cottages. Do have a look and if you have any suggestions, please let us know. Now that we have our own domain (as they say!) we are changing our E-Mail address. It is now 'anything'@cprw.org.uk. For example you can start the address by replacing 'anything' with 'Merfyn' or 'Director' or 'Jenny'or whatever. We will need to run our old address side by side for a while until our new one becomes well known.

At the next meeting of Council, on Saturday November 20th, John Morgan who has designed and produced the web site will give a demonstration and presentation of the site.

Elections to the Executive will take place at that meeting of Council. There are four vacancies - three 3-years terms and one 2-year term. John Edwards, Eleanor James and Simon Weston will be retiring and, at present, only Eleanor James is eligible for re-election. John Edwards will have served a continuous six years and Simon Weston is no longer a member of Council.

Candidates must be voting members of Council, a full list of which will be sent on request. Nominations should be received at this office by Friday 22nd October and should include the name of the candidate, the proposer and seconder. It is the duty of the proposer to ensure that the candidate is willing to stand.

Membership of the Executive carries certain responsibilities as the member are the Charity Trustees. An explanatory leaflet will be sent on request to any member considering standing for election.

At the AGM in June the constitution was amended as follows:

It is our intention to produce Fact Files for Branches which will include the constitution, legal and organisational details but whilst these are in preparation we will continue to use this bulletin to give best practice advice and guidance.

Hon. Treasurers are reminded that the words 'Registered Charity' must appear on all documents relating to money - invoices, appeals and even cheque books. If your bank will not print the words on the cheque books , we have a rubber stamp here. Just post the cheque book to us and we will do the necessary.

Will Secretaries please continue to send agendas and minutes to us here at Head Office. In fact whenever you are mailing your members, don't forget to include us. The Executive Committee, as Charity Trustees, are responsible for the management of the whole charity and it is essential that, at any time, they can look at the Branch file for a complete insight of what is taking place. Many thanks