A PLANNED 42 hectare timber plantation will cut through historic landscapes, sites of special scientific interest and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) sensitive habitats according to concerned villagers who fear they have been consulted too late about the scheme.

A meeting in Llanover Village Hall, called by the plantation’s planners, Llanover Estates, saw local people raise concerns about the impact of conifer harvesting in pasture land on the slopes of the Blorenge Mountain overlooking the Village.

Llanover Estate, whose website claims they have a history of conservation, planning for the long term and investment in countryside and woodland, state the new timber plantation - The Llanover Estate Woodland Creation Plan - is the result of a shift in the commercial realities of the rural economy.

Resident agent for Llanover Estate, Tom Jones, told the meeting, ‘Hill sheep farming is going through a difficult time, it is getting less and less viable and Brexit means there is uncertainty over subsidies. I have had a tenant farmer knocking at my door wanting to hand back the land saying he can no longer make a living. This plantation will create jobs and boost activity in the countryside.’

Woodland manager for Llanover Estate, Andrew Bronwin, told the meeting the proposed plantation was a long-term project of the type encouraged by the Welsh Government to offset carbon emissions and he pointed to the need for economic sustainability in a changing rural economy.

But villagers expressed their concerns about the detail of the plan, querying the impact the plantation and its subsequent harvesting will have on the local environment. A resident’s claim that there had been an ‘Appalling lack of information,’ about the plans led to suggestions that the Estate had made little effort to notify local people about the extent and detail of the proposed planting.

Only four of the thirty-plus villagers raised a hand in response to the question about whether they had been contacted about the proposals, prompting one villager to comment, ‘The Estate is very pushy, and always has been; surely you could have contacted occupiers locally? Why have we not been informed before now?

Villager, Phillipa Cherryson, has stated in a letter to the Estate, ‘We are horrified at this proposal and the Estate’s attempts to receive more than £80,000 in taxpayers’ money to pay for this destruction of the countryside.

‘Having reviewed your application documents there are also a number of false statements.In particular we are very concerned at your statement which says the surrounding land is owned by Llanover Estate with the exception of the common land to the west. This is quite simply a lie.

‘The application is immediately bordered by the land of seven privately owned properties – only one of which has been informed of your proposals. The other six owners have only just found out about what you are proposing and are extremely upset’.

The Estate, which has remained in the control of the same family for more than two hundred years, is looking to Welsh Government funding under the Glastir (Green Land) Scheme to help finance the enterprise.

Glastir is the sustainable land management scheme through which the Welsh Government offers financial support to farmers and land managers to pay for the delivery of specific environmental goods and services aimed at combating climate change, improving water management and/or maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.

However, Ms Cherryson is demanding a halt until further consultations have been made, stating, ‘The Estate’s application and the way you have tried to sneak it past us has upset the entire community surrounding the site. We would ask that you see sense and drop the scheme before it causes anymore upset and anger’.

Tom Jones commented, ‘ We have tried to be as open and transparent as possible about the proposal; we have endeavoured to notify interested parties and by holding a meeting we hope to have addressed some of the earlier concerns raised regarding communication. We shall continue to consult widely before continuing discussions with Natural Resources Wales’.