In a shock announcement on 10th December, (whilst officially opening the wind power station at Parc Cynog). the Energy Minister, Brian Wilson, gave consent for the 39 wind turbines, nearly 100 metres high, at Cefn Croes. This power station, on the watershed above Eisteddfa Curig on the route between Aberystwyth and Rhaeadr, will destroy the peace and tranquillity of an area that is so hugely important to the definition of what makes Wales what it is - a unique environment characterised by diverse landscapes, the core of which are the rolling uplands of mid Wales.

The project involves more than 50MW of capacity and was therefore decided by the Minister from the DTI in London.

Explaining the system at a meeting of the Environment, Planning and Transport Committee at the National Assembly for Wales two days later, First Minister, Rhodri Morgan said that the report (see Branch Bulletin 68) which the Assembly had sent to the DTI had, legally, to be prepared by civil servants. It had not contained a recommendation that a Public Inquiry should be held because it is Government convention that no Minister, other than the one heading the relevant Department should give an opinion - this is called a Minister's "unfettered discretion" i.e. not influenced by any other department. This convention now seems to apply to the National Assembly for Wales vis-à-vis central government departments, thus, presumably, placing our National Assembly on a par with any other government department.

Rhodri Morgan also indicated that there would be further large scale wind projects coming forward, both on-shore and off-shore. This seems to be confirmed by the recent announcement of plans for an submarine interconnector off the West coast of Britain from Scotland to Cornwall. This will 'gather' power from different projects and input them into the National Grid at certain points e.g. Wylfa on Anglesey.

The First Minister was asked if a memorandum could be prepared explaining the decision making system for 50MW+ capacity generating projects and he agreed to this adding that negotiations were taking place with a view to transferring power to the Assembly to decide such cases.

Following the Cefn Croes decision, CPRW issued two press releases which are attached to this Bulletin. We received many messages from people all over Wales who were distraught at the thought of this wonderful place being industrialised. To get a feel of the place, we refer readers to Martin Wright's evocative article, 'Elenydd', which appeared in the Summer edition of Rural Wales Magazine (pp 16/17). This can also be viewed on CPRW's website  on the Historic Landscapes pages.

CPRW has seen provisional plans prepared by Albro Planning and Environmental for The Camddwr Trust for a 165 turbines (of unknown height) project between Strata Florida and Llanwtyd Wells. We await a planning application but will that be determined by the DTI as well?

Another announcement made by Brian Wilson on December 10th was that he said that he will shortly be introducing new rules which will relocate renewable energy projects which had been proposed under the (now defunct) Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) but had failed to obtain planning permission. Adding "These new rules will unlock around 100 renewable energy projects currently blocked by planning constraints, to drive forward a significant expansion in the production of green energy. Many of the projects will be wind based."

This horrified us! Does it mean that the cases we have fought and won - eg. Jordanston, Wogaston, Mynydd Glyn Lws, Mynydd Llanelian - and cases where we are awaiting a decision - eg. Mynydd Clogau, Cwm Llwyd, Nant Carfan, and Llethercynon - we will have to fight again? Will there be an aggregation of NFFO contracts to cross the 50MW threshold and thus bypass the land use planning system? The ramifications for Land Use Planning and local democracy could be far-reaching and surely contrary to the concept of devolution.

Different signals were received in November when the Prime Minister announced how the Government intends to allocate the £100 million of extra funding for renewable energy projects. The extra money is to go on offshore wind, energy crops, PV (electricity from the sun) schemes and research into other technologies. There is no mention of wind power stations on land. This led CPRW to believe that the Government had realised that the quality landscapes of Britain are too precious to be utilised on the non-achievement of renewable energy production by the continual building of massive, intrusive structures in our countryside that produce a small, intermittent amount of electricity.

To aid our campaigning, a new leaflet has been prepared which will be distributed widely to Assembly Members, MPs, planners, councillors and other decision makers. A copy is enclosed with this bulletin and if you can make good use of extra copies, please let us know.

Launching, in November, the Assembly's key strategy document for the industry, 'Farming for the Future', Rural Affairs Minister, Carwyn Jones, said:

"This document represents, for the first time ever in Wales, the publication of an embracing philosophy for farming. It sets out a vision for the industry to achieve future sustainability, supported by a framework of actions that we in the Assembly, working with our partners across Wales, intend to deliver. 'Farming for the Future' identifies over fifty actions for the National Assembly Government and others to take to help the industry adapt."

This report, and indeed the plethora of reports which have appeared in recent weeks following the foot and mouth epidemic, will be examined in more detail in the Spring edition of Rural Wales Magazine.

Regional Planning Guidance for North Wales was formally adopted earlier this year.

This is the first time that an attempt has been made to establish a shared vision which can influence development planning across the whole of North Wales and the planning authorities involved hope that it will help to minimise disagreement between them as their Unitary Development Plans are being prepared.

Copies will be circulated to those, in the North Wales branches, holding the Planning Guidance files.

The National Assembly for Wales has completed the Technical Advice Note for Waste and a copy, in English only, has been placed on the web-site www.wales.gov.uk or a photocopy can be obtained from Gareth Bevington, Planning 4 Tel. 029 2082 5383

The published bilingual version will be distributed once the translation of the document into Welsh has been completed in the next couple of months! It will then be circulated to those holding the Planning Guidance files.

'Design Advice' is a consultancy service offering professional, independent and objective advice on the energy-efficient and environmentally conscious design of buildings. It is an important part of the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice programme.

Clients are offered a free one-day general consultancy on their chosen building project(s). Clients include building developers, fund providers, design teams, letting agents, housing associations, local authorities and building owners/tenants. All potential buildings/group of buildings must have a minimum floor area of 500m2.

Contact 'Design Advice' on 0800 585794.

The National Federation of Women's Institutes in Wales have produced a series of factsheets as part of their Pathway Project which encourages community led sustainable development initiatives. Their project officer thought they might be of interest to CPRW members and community groups. The titles are:

• Countryside and the Environment
• Reducing and Managing Waste
• Energy Conservation
• Water Conservation
• Pathway - a community support network
• Local food and Fairtrade

They can be downloaded from their website - www.womens-institute.org.uk/pathway or a photocopied set will be sent, on request.

Congratulations to the WI for an excellent set of documents which will tie in with our own LA21 Strategy to be published in 2002.

A new project based at the Mercator Centre, University of Wales Aberystwyth headed by Ned Thomas has begun research into the possibility of establishing a Welsh language daily newspaper. They would very much like to hear from the Welsh speaking public regarding the proposal. A questionnaire has been prepared and can be downloaded from their website -

www.aber.ac.uk/mercator/papurdyddiol

A paper version can be obtained from Angharad Philpott Tel 01970 621998.

As the proposed newsletter is aimed at Welsh readers, the questionnaire is in Welsh only but this information can be passed on to Welsh speaking colleagues and friends. There's a chance to win a weekend away for two in Portmeirion village.

WWF's Oceans Recovery Campaign is raising public awareness and lobbying governments in Westminster, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to take urgent action on the many threats facing our oceans.

In October, CPRW signed up to the Edinburgh Declaration on Oceans Recovery, the text of which is reproduced below.

The seas have always inspired the imagination and endeavours of the human race. They are the world's greatest resource, providing nutrition, minerals, energy, livelihood and leisure opportunities. The oceans, however, are more than just a simple economic reserve. Home to half the planet's biodiversity, they also regulate our climate and absorb the gases that contribute to climate change.

We recognise our seas are in urgent need of sensible and sensitive management if they are to support abundant fish-stocks, viable populations of marine wildlife and thriving communities. We understand that this stewardship will require the forging of new partnerships and the development of better ways of managing this priceless resource in a sustainable manner. As part of our duty to future generations, it is essential to take decisive action now. By signing this Declaration, we demonstrate our commitment to the recovery of our seas and oceans and their future stewardship.

For further details of the campaign: WWF Cymru Tel. 029 2045 4970

The seas and coasts around Britain and Ireland are home to an amazing array of wildlife, but relatively little is known about it or its distribution. That is why WWF has teamed up with the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) to build a better picture of the marine wildlife around our shores. As part of their Oceans Recovery Campaign, they are asking the public to take part in a survey, They have chosen 34 species for the survey - from the bottlenose dolphin to the common starfish. The data collected will provide vital information about the health of our seas and play an important role in shaping the management of our marine environment and its recovery. To take part in the survey, visit www.marlin.ac.uk/wwf where you will find all the information you need and can record your sightings online or, call 0845 121 0500 and a Sea Life Survey pack will be sent to you.

Since his election in the summer, Roger Jones had been appointed Chairman of the Welsh Development Agency. Following discussions with the First Minister, Mr Jones had resigned as CPRW's President to avoid any conflicts of interest which might arise. Whilst regretting the loss, so early, of such an enthusiastic President, CPRW sent its warmest congratulations to Mr Jones on his appointment.

Meetings of the Executive Committee take place on the last Saturday in January, the 2nd Saturdays in May and September and the 1st Saturday in November.

Meetings of Council take place on the 2nd Saturday in March, the 4th Saturday in June (same day as the AGM) and the 3rd Saturday in November.

Therefore, the meeting dates in 2002 will be:

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