Issue - meetings

• To support the establishment of, and the participation of, the Council to the Nutrient Management Board for Afon Gwyrfai in accordance with the terms of reference at Appendix 1.

• To appoint the Head of the Environment Department to represent the Council on the new Board and delegate the right to the Head to confirm the representation of Council officers on the Board and to undertake any non-substantial changes to the Terms of Reference.

The report was presented by Cllr Craig ab Iago.

DECISION

To support the establishment of, and the Council's participation in, a Nutrient Management Board for Afon Gwyrfai in accordance with the terms of reference in Appendix 1.

To appoint the Head of the Environment Department to represent the Council on the new Board and delegate the right to the Head of Department to confirm the representation of Council officers on the Board and to undertake any non-material changes to the Terms of Reference.

DISCUSSION

The Head of Department talked about the statutory duty on public bodies to preserve wildlife and biodiversity within the rivers that had been designated as special areas of conservation in Wales, and the impact that high levels of nutrients could have on the water quality and therefore on this biodiversity.

He noted that a report had been published by Natural Resources Wales in 2021, which assessed whether the rivers reached the targets that had been set regarding the levels of nutrients in the rivers. It was highlighted that at the time of the report, the two rivers in Gwynedd were meeting these targets so there was no need for formal action at the time.

He reported that a more recent assessment, also carried out by Natural Resources Wales, had shown that Afon Gwyrfai was failing to meet these water quality targets due to the levels of nutrients contained in the river. In a situation where a river failed, he stated that it was the responsibility of the relevant authority to establish a Nutrient Management Board in order to put steps in place to reach the targets. 

The aim was to create a Board jointly with the National Park authority.

It was emphasised that the formation of this Board was key because the failure of Afon Gwyrfai would have a direct impact on the Council, in terms of housing and agricultural developments within the river's catchment area and beyond. It was added that 10 planning applications were currently being delayed as a result of this.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       Recognised the need to understand the root of the problem and therefore the need for discussions with the relevant people in order to obtain those solutions.

·       Concerns were raised about the potential impact of this on housing developments in the area, and the importance of the environment in this regard was highlighted.

·       The effects of establishing the Board on resources were mentioned. It was confirmed that this had been raised with Natural Resources Wales, and that it was intended to appoint a Project Officer within Natural Resources Wales who would focus primarily on Afon Gwyrfai.

·       It was confirmed that the Board would be established as soon as possible.