In a case brought by Greenpeace earlier this month, the Government was defeated by a landmark legal ruling which will protect coral reefs, whales and dolphins in Britain's North East Atlantic. Mr Justice Kay ruled that all future offshore oil licensing is illegal until the Government properly applies the EU Habitats Directive.

The case centred on the UK Government's decision to limit the application of the EU Directive to only 12 miles from the coast rather than the 200 miles which it licenses for oil.

As a result of the case the UK will now be required to:

• Put in place a strict system of protection for all whales and dolphins
  
  
• Survey marine life between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the coast and identify sites which contain habitats or species which require protection.
  
  
• Propose candidate Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) which contain these viulnerable habitats and species
  
  
• Develop plans for protecting habitats and restoring species which have suffered declines in population or whose conservation status remains vulnerable.
  
  

Favourable comments are still coming in following the publication of 'The Cottage Tradition - Maintaining a living heritage'. We still have copies available, so let us know if you would like some to distribute to builders, architects etc.

We are now looking to feature particular cottages in Rural Wales Magazine, so if you are or know of anyone living in a cottage which warrants such exposure, please let us know.

Peter Law AM has indicated that he would like to see the cottages exhibition, which first appeared at the Royal Welsh Show, in the foyer of the National Assembly and we are progressing this.

In most parts of Wales the main generator of countryside loss is the allocation of greenfield land for housing. Planning authorities are revising their development plans and setting new housing targets for up to 2016. The authorities are now permitted to set their own targets, which used to be imposed on them by the former Welsh Office.

The main reason for the need for new housing is due to the continuing evolution of smaller average family size - and of this the largest single group is single person households. This must mean that there is a significant local need - i.e. a need by existing local population. Therefore a large part of the authority's need must be for smaller homes.

Most planning authorities have traditionally allocated housing land and then allowed the house building industry to decide what homes should be built. This approach seems to lead developers preferring to build quite large, low density houses on greenfield sites. Houses that are frequently taken by the retired and commuters - people often moving from outside the area.

The Government now wants 60% of housing to be sited on brownfield land (already developed land) but many authorities in Wales do not have useful amounts of such land. Certainly it seems wrong to provide for new housing in a way that is unlikely to satisfy the 'local need' and it seems wrong to be using greenfield sites to encourage commuting. Branches are encouraged to study these aspects in their area's emerging Unitary Development Plans and to strongly promote the planning of housing for identified 'local needs' on brownfield land. It would also help if branches liaised with Head Office so that we can make any necessary representations to the National Assembly.

... And the Builders Agree

The House Builders' Federation have themselves launched a campaign 'Old Land, New Houses' with a threefold aim:

• To show the commitment of the industry to the development of recycled land;
  
  
• To highlight the difficulties house builders experience developing recycled land and to promote solutions;
  
  
• To encourage the public to participate in the process of identifying sites of recycled land.

The Federation is asking members of the public to let it have details of any previously-used land that might be used for housing. The consideration that the public is asked to take into account are the size of the site, whether it is easily accessibly, its previous use and, more importantly, whether it could become an area that would be an attractive place to live. A hot-line is open for calls - the number is 0171 608 5107.

Further details of this campaign will be sent on request.

Our retained consultant, Geoff Sinclair, reported on the current state of play in the Autumn edition of Rural Wales Magazine (copy available on request). Since that went to press:

Tir Mostyn (SJ 003 585) & Foel Goch (SJ002 599) in Denbighshire:

An application was submitted for 33 x 750kW turbines 75m (246 ft) - the first in Denbighshire. The site, above Llyn Brenig, is highly contentious in its own right and would add to the impact of Hiraethog.

Parc Cynog (SN 254 096) in Carmarthenshire:

Cilciffeth (SN 010 324) in Pembrokeshire:

The Barningham High Moor case:

The Countryside Council's updated policy on wind turbines can be seen on their website - www.ccw.gov.uk

CCW will oppose the introduction of any commercial wind turbines in: National Parks, AONBs or Heritage Coasts. They will also normally oppose wind turbine developments detrimental to the features and qualities of Special Landscape Areas identified in Development Plans.

The National Trust has produced a beautiful and cogently argued pamphlet unashamedly extolling the virtues of our less developed uplands and demonstrating how the best-intentioned policies for several renewable energy technologies are imperilling its quality. There is a picture of a landscape in the Brecon Beacons on the front. The Barningham wind power station and the Newbridge-on-Wye wood buring power station proposals are featured, and it is heartening to see the Trust - which has carried out a searching debate on the subject - reach conclusions of such authority and express them so effectively.

Copies of the pamphlet can be obtained by writing to Estates Dept. (Box RJ) The National Trust, 33 Sheep Street, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 1

At a recent meeting of the CPRW Executive Committee, the Director outlined his concerns about European funding which is, and will continue to have, profound effects on rural Wales. His concerns focus on the following:

Fontainbleau - Mrs Thatcher's agreement whereby the UK claws back a rebate of two thirds of the difference between gross UK input into EU and UK spend. This agreement leads to restricted EU spending in the UK to gain the maximum rebate - that rebate falls into the Treasury pit.

Additionality - EU money is supposed to add on to member state spending but the UK is the only state that applies it to halve its spending. And the 50% also disappears into the Treasury pit. Thus, in Wales, rather than having a 150% spend on regional projects, we have 50%, the actual budget line shows 100% eg Tir Gorfal = £20m total but Treasury reclaims 10m: but it could be £25m. (With Objective 1 funding, this disparity increases.)

Modulation - on the Tir Gofal issue. Under the new Rural Regulation that will (theoretically, but not practically) come into effect on January 1 2000, the UK will only be able to draw down 3.6% of the total EAGGF budget. This is in contrast to the circa 16% drawn down by France and Germany - and to their regions. This is because the UK can only take what it has previously taken up. More money can be made available by transferring up to 20% of productivity payments to the Rural Regulation but this is rather a contentious issue!

New Regulations came into force on 6th September 1999 regarding EIAs for forestry matters. The main changes that the new Regulations introduce are as follows:

Planning Guidance (Wales) Planning Policy (1st Revision) and Planning Guidance (Wales): Unitary Development Plans are both now posted on the National Assembly's Web Site - www.wales.gov.uk

The Welsh Transport Policy Statement 'Transporting Wales into the Future' identified local authorities as major players in bringing together the various interest groups and identifying practical and realistic proposals for delivering the benefits of integrated transport in their area. One of the key proposals affecting local authorities is the requirement to prepare Local Transport Plans (LTPs) which will be a means of drawing together:

• An analysis of the current situation
• The problems and opportunities this presents
• The specific objectives the authority is working towards
• The implementation plan for delivering those objectives (including co-operative ventures with other authorities or public transport providers)
• The funding sources which have been identified and
• The targets against which progress will be measured.

The LTP should reflect the principle of sustainable development, take forward action on local air quality and climate change targets, address accessibility and social exclusion and achieve a balance between dealing with congestion, obligations under the Road traffic Reduction Act 1997 and supporting economic development.

The UK Government intends to legislate, to make the production of these plans a statutory requirement. In the meantime authorities are asked to produce LTPs on a voluntary basis. They were invited to submit progress reports in August as part of their 2000-01 Transport Grant bids and will be invited to present completed LTPs by August 2000.

We have a copy of the NAW's 'Guidance on Local Transport Plans in Wales' which we will lend or copy on request.

The Environment Agency has issued maps called 'Indicative Floodplain Maps', which show areas at risk from flooding. They are being distributed to local authorities for use in development control and emergency planning. At the most recent Northern Area Environment Group meeting that CPRW's Sue Walton attended, there was a presentation about these new maps. They are available on a CD ROM, which will be revised annually. The information shows 1 in 100 year probability of flooding from inland watercourses. For coastal or near-coastal areas the map shows 1 in 200 year probability, as if without coastal defences.

At the meeting there was some uncertainty about how, and if, this information would be available to the public. To clarify the situation David Gatehouse, the Agency's Area Manager in North Wales, wrote a letter to the Group members. The text is as follows:

"At the ... meeting, recent guidance on the way the Agency should disclose Indicative Floodplain Map information was described. Things have now quickly moved on, and I am pleased to inform you that we will be adopting a more robust approach. We will continue the present custom and practice of responding to information requests from the public about flood risk, whether the request is communicated by telephone or by writing. There remain some outstanding issues for the Agency to address and I will update you of progress at our next meeting, but for now I hope you find the news herein positive and reassuring."

CPRW is still not clear if you will be able to get this information from your local authority's planning department. We will let you know if any further information emerges.

Excessive lighting on rural roads, village streets and in other areas of the countryside is a concern to many rural residents. The light can shut out the splendour of the night sky, and lighting apparatus can spoil daytime views. There is also a subtle, cumulative effect on countryside character that tends to blur the distinction between urban and rural areas.

Local authorities too are becoming increasingly concerned about light pollution and there is the opportunity for policies on light pollution to be included in development plans.

For further details see CPRE's leaflet 'Starry starry night' or the excellent Countryside Commission / Department of the Environment report ' Lighting in the Countryside: Towards Good Practice' - both available on loan from CPRW's library.

Launched recently at reception for Assembly Members, the Welsh Wildlife Charter, produced by Wales Wildlife and Countryside Link (of which CPRW is a founder member) calls for comprehensive wildlife protection in Wales, specifically calling upon the National Assembly to:

• Urge the Government to introduce a wildlife bill
• Support the measures the Government will introduce in Westminster
• Take action to address these additional measures important for Wales
• Ensure that the provisions of such a bill are properly finded and implemented in Wales.

The Government has indicated that it may include a Countryside Bill in this year's Speech. While its content is not known for certain, the Government has indicated that it will include wildlife legislation and access aspects. In a document launched at the same event as previously described, Wales Wildlife and Countryside Link urges the National Assembly to:

• Press for the Bill to be in the next parliamentary session
• Ensure that the package will work for Wales
• Ensure that the provisions of the Bill are properly funded and implemented in Wales

And of course, as we go to press we note that the Queen's Speech included reference to the Countryside bill introducing a right to roam in the open countryside and greater protection for wildlife sites.

Chris Blandford Associates were commissioned by the CCW to develop and test a methodology for mapping 'open countryside' in four pilot study areas and the work in now complete. The primary objective of the pilot study was to test the practicalities of mapping the areas of mountain, moor, heath, down and registered commons to which the Government is proposing a public right of access.

The four pilot study areas selected were:

• The upper Swansea Valley and Surrounding Area in the Brecon Beacons, Powys (OS Grid Square SN81)
• The Bwlch Mawr Area of the Llyn Peninsular, Gwynedd (OS Grid Square SH44)
  
  
• The Moel y Llyn/Dyfnant Forest on the Powys-Gwynedd Border (OS Grid Square SH91)
  
  
• Land near Knighton on the Powys-Shropshire Border (OD Grid Square SO27)

The potential areas of open countryside were mapped from relevant digital data captured and combined within a Geographical Information System. Standard criteria were used to ensure consistency for example:

• All developed land was excluded (unless registered as common land
• All intensively managed farm land i.e. cultivated fields and improved/semi-improved pastures and areas of 'ffridd' land used for livestock managed was excluded (except if registered as common land.
• Inclusion of all registered common land held by local authorities as open countryside regardless of the degree of enclosure, habitat type, development, agricultural improvement and/or use as 'ffridd' land.
• Inclusion of all areas of semi-natural vegetation synonymous with mountain, moor, heath and down - some small areas of land not falling within this definition, but present within large areas of mountain, moor etc., were included.

Wherever possible, open countryside boundaries have been adjusted to relate to physical, recognisable features such as field boundaries, streams, edges of woodlands, roads etc to ensure that boundaries are clearly identifiable on a map and on the ground, thus reducing potential for confusion in the minds of land owners and walkers.

The consultants' suggest that mapping open countryside throughout Wales could be completed within two years. They recommend that the draft maps should be subject to extensive consultation and then put 'on deposit' with any objections being subject to independent adjudication. They also suggest that the information should then be published on 1:25,000 maps.

Then we'll know where we can roam!

'Design Notes 1 - Wales: making places', the first in a new series, has recently been published by the Countryside Council for Wales. In the introduction it is said that quite how many topics the series will cover, and the sequence, will depend both on the demand for the series and on resources. CCW expects the next Note to deal with the design process with other topics likely to include rural, urban fringe and coastal settlements, country buildings, communications and sustainable development. The CCW are asking for suggestions.

Meant primarily for the professionals, the series aims "to fire the imagination of Welsh designers"! For copies of this publication, write to Public Relations Section, CCW, Plas Penrhos, Ffordd Penrhos, Bangor LL57 2LQ or telephone 01248 385510.

It can also be found on their website : www.ccw.gov.uk

The Countryside Council for Wales will be holding its next meeting in Cardiff on 15th December at 2pm in the Trevithick Building, Cardiff University.

The dates and venues for the meetings in 2000 are as follows:

26th January - Swansea

8th March - Bangor

19th April - Newtown

14th June - Aberywyth

19th July - Merthyr Tydfil

27th September - Denbigh

1st November - Monmouth

13th December - Bangor.

These meetings are open to the public and you can receive a copy of the Agenda by telephoning Barbara Roberts on 01248 385629 Fax 01248 385506 E-Mail: b.roberts@ccw.gov.uk

Tip: When boiling potatoes, chop them into small pieces - you will use less power and less water.

Tip: Steam your fish on top of the potatoes.

A New Vice-Chairman

Elections to Executive Committee

Copies of the consultations and/or our responses will be sent on request

We have received:

CADW: Register of landscapes of special historic interest in Wales by 10th December 1999

Charity Commission: Review of the Register by 31st January 2000

DETR: Proposal for the minimum criteria for environmental inspection in the member states by 26th November 1999

Environment Agency: Water Resources Issues by 31st January 2000

National Assembly for Wales:	Flood and coastal defence funding review, by 30th November 1999
	Limiting landfill, by 29th November 1999
	Woodlands for Wales, by 31st January 2000

National Trust: Interpreting our purposes and shaping our values, by 30th November 1999

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution: Subject of next study, by 17th January 2000

Snowdonia National Park: Management Plan, by 30th November 1999

We have responded to:

City of Swansea: Burry inlet and Loughor estuary

DETR: Improving rights of way in England and Wales

Forest Enterprise: Enjoying your forests

Gwynedd Council: Unitary Development Plan

WLGA: Community Planning

The following have been added to our library and may be borrowed, on request:

Association of National Park Authorities:Annual Review 1999 Bardsey Bird & Field Observatory: Bardsey Observatory report 1998

BNFL: Environment, Health & Safety report 1998/99

CADW: Annual report & accounts 1998-99

Campden Publishing: The Sustainable Development Agenda 2000

CAT: Residential Courses 2000

DETR: Research into proposed criteria defining 'important' hedgerows

Dwr Cymru: Customer Report 1998-99

European Commission: CAP reform - A policy for the future

European Environment Agency: Groundwater quality and quantity in Europe

Fabian Society: Environmental modernisation

General Workers Union in Denmark: Green Jobs

Global Environment Change: The politics of GM food

Green Alliance: New policies for renewable energy

House Builders Federation: Old land new homes

Institute of Rural Health: Farm suicide in Rural Wales

Joseph Rountree Foundation: Partnership working in rural regeneration

National Assembly for Wales: Guidance on local transport plans in Wales

National Botanic Garden of Wales: The Gardens of Wales

Planning magazine: What planning degree?

Plantlife: Annual review & Accounts 1998-1999

Severn Trent Water: Conservation Access and Recreation annual report 1999

Snowdonia Society: Annual Report

Transport 2000: Living streets

UK Round Table on Sustainable Development: Response to consultation on the Sustainable Development Commission

WCVA: Manual of guidance on voluntary sector grants

WWF: The accumulation and impact of Organoting

YHA: Annual Report 1998-99