Commemorative woodland at Brownhill - next phase of consultation

Overview

We recently held a consultation on our plans to create a Commemorative Woodland at Brownhill, Carmarthenshire.

Thank you for getting in touch to give us your feedback, whether that was through our online consultation, the drop-in event at Llangadog village hall, or by contacting us directly.

As a result of the feed-back we received, we have divided the site into three areas each of which will have different objectives. The three areas can be viewed on the map below.

Area One – Conservation space

1. 1. Riparian and wet woodland with minimum intervention primarily to benefit biodiversity and to promote a healthy active floodplain.
   2. Identify areas where the public can safely access the river, causing minimal disturbance for wildlife to flourish.
   3. Improve access points to the river and ensure that anglers can continue to access the space safely.

Area Two – Woodland Space

1. Create a native broadleaf woodland that maximises habitat diversity.
2. A contemplative and commemorative space that is accessible to all.
3. Create a green resource for community use.

Area Three - Growing Space

1. 1. Work in partnership to deliver sustainable opportunities to grow food, trees, nature.
   2. Increase tree cover to demonstrate how government planting initiatives to help tackle the climate and nature emergencies can be achieved alongside other land uses.
   3. Improve water quality, soil health and the habitat and species diversity

Summary of feedback

We received 117 responses to our consultation, a mixture of online responses to the survey, letters and emails and those gathered at the in-person event. These can be viewed here: 

We understand the concerns raised about safe access to the site and different proposed uses of the land. However, the majority of the feedback from our first round of consultation indicated general support for the objectives set out for Area one the “Conservation space” and Area two the “Woodland space”.

We will approach these areas differently to ensure public access and space for wildlife complement each other. In the longer term we will investigate ways to make the site more accessible without a car.

The majority of ideas and concerns raised relate to Area Three, the “Growing Space”. We will therefore focus this consultation on this part of the site. 

For the “Growing Space” we’ve had some ideas about how we might achieve the objectives set out above, and would like to invite you to share your views to help inform the next steps in shaping the design for the site. 

How can I get involved?

You can have your say by taking part in our online consultation below.

Please submit any feedback you may have via the consultation link where it will be collated by our woodland creation team. We will only consider responses submitted in this format.

We will also be holding a face-to-face event : 

12:00 - 7:00pm on the 14 July at Llansadwrn reading room, SA19 8HH Carmarthenshire

to speak with communities from the surrounding area and gather feedback.

What happens next?

Once we have finished consulting with our neighbours, local communities and partners, we will collate everyone’s feedback to help us shape the design for the site.

We will share the feedback and designs via our project page and social media channels (@NatResWales)

Or you can request to be added to our mailing list by emailing: woodlandcreation.hub@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

We intend to create opportunities for volunteers to help us prepare and plant trees on the site. These will begin in the autumn, and we will keep you updated about the dates and timings of these in due course.