Welcome to this Strategy for Greening 8 Towns in Carmarthenshire.

Produced by Carmarthenshire County Council, it sets out the key issues and opportunities for the Green and Blue Infrastructure (GBI) network within and around eight towns in the county.

What is green and blue infrastructure?

Green and blue infrastructure (GBI) refers to the network of green and blue spaces that surround our towns and cities and weave through them. Just as a transport network connects people across an area through a network of roads, rail or pavements – GBI helps connect people, wildlife and nature.

GBI can include large green spaces like National Parks, Country Parks, farmed landscapes or river corridors. It can also include private gardens, allotments, hedges, street trees, roadside green verges, or footpaths.

The Wales Green Infrastructure Forum tells us that GBI is unlike old-fashioned grey infrastructure (like drainage pipes) which have a single function. Instead, GBI has many functions. This might include transporting rainwater, removing water pollution, providing homes for wildlife, providing flowers for bees and other pollinators and helping to keep urban areas cool.

GBI should form a strategic network of high-quality green spaces and other natural features, which offer quality of life benefits for communities.  It should thread through and around the built environment and connect the urban area to its wider rural hinterland.

Image: The components which make up a GBI network

Why do we need this GBI Strategy?

As the settlements within Carmarthenshire continue to expand, it is imperative to maximise the mutual benefits of GBI for people, nature and places.

Carmarthenshire and Wales more generally are in the midst of twin climate and biodiversity emergencies. The country is also facing significant mental and physical health challenges. Access to good quality and well-connected green and blue space is essential to address these challenges.

The evolving policy context in Wales means that greater attention is being given to green and blue infrastructure than ever before. In 2015 the Welsh government passed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. The Act gives national and local government a legally-binding common objective to work together to improve the well-being of Wales, via seven well-being goals.

In the face of these challenges and ambitions, this strategy seeks to protect, maintain, enhance, and better connect Carmarthenshire’s green and blue infrastructure assets.

It also aims to guide funding towards the projects and partnerships that will be most valued by the local community, that will improve local ecological networks, and that will build resilience to climate change.

What does the Strategy cover?

The GBI Strategy covers all categories of GBI assets in Carmarthenshire – from national parks, country parks and river corridors to gardens, road verges and ponds.

It focuses on eight towns in Carmarthenshire. For each town, it identifies a series of enhancement priorities. These range from pocket parks, sustainable drainage systems and walking routes, to ‘rewilding’ street verges and planting trees.

The eight towns are:

• The “core towns” of Llanelli, Carmarthen, and Ammanford/Cross Hands.
• The towns of Newcastle Emlyn, Cwmamman, Llandovery, Kidwelly and St Clears.

This Strategy is just the beginning of the County Council’s ambition for achieving a greener Carmarthenshire. It is hoped it will form the catalyst for the expansion of the work to other settlements in the county in the future.

The Strategy builds on the Carmarthenshire Green Infrastructure Assessment (2020). It also sits alongside other relevant plans and strategies, including:

• The South West Wales Area Statement
• Carmarthenshire’s adopted Local Development Plan (adopted in 2014) and revised Local Development Plan (covering 2018-2033)
• The County’s Corporate Strategy – Moving Forward in Carmarthenshire: the Next 5 Years
• The Carmarthenshire Open Space Assessment (2018-2033)
• The Carmarthenshire Well-being Plan: The Carmarthenshire We Want (2018-2023)
• The Carmarthenshire Net Zero Carbon Action Plan
• The Carmarthenshire Corporate Strategy (2018-2023)
• Moving Rural Carmarthenshire Forward (2019)
• The Carmarthenshire Play Sufficiency Assessment
• Regeneration strategies – anchored by Transformations: Strategic Regeneration Plan for Carmarthenshire (2015-2030), and including the 10 Towns Initiative and Recovery Masterplans for Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford.

These, along with others, have all informed the preparation of this Strategy.

What are the key themes?

Three core themes guide this GBI Strategy – People, Place and Nature.

These themes provide a framework for the Strategy, highlighting the different functions GBI assets can deliver.

Image: The themes used for this Strategy

One further cross-cutting theme that runs throughout the Strategy is Climate Change. This theme influences all elements of the GBI network – for people, nature and place.

How was the Strategy developed?

The GBI Strategy was prepared by:

• analysing spatial data on the existing network of GBI assets.
• reviewing existing relevant plans, policies and strategies.
• engaging closely with key stakeholders.

This work was used to identify the key challenges facing the GBI network within the eight settlements and the potential opportunities that could help to address these challenges.

Image: How the Strategy was developed

A summary of the stakeholder engagement process which informed this Strategy is included in Appendix A.

What is the purpose of this Strategy?

The Strategy intends to facilitate action by:

• Communicating the clear benefits of access to high quality green and blue spaces.
• Supporting and assisting the delivery of GBI planning policies.
• Providing a prospectus for the County Council, partners and local community groups to develop projects which enhance and extend the GBI network.
• Supporting future funding – setting out the strategic GBI priorities and how they respond to local issues and challenges. GBI should form an integral part of local regeneration initiatives, particularly wider town centre revival efforts.
• Informing discussions with developers delivering new development areas by setting out how they can contribute positively to the local GBI network.

What happens next?

Wide ownership and delivery of the Strategy across all Council departments, as well as wider stakeholders and community groups, will be crucial to its success.

The County Council is committed to working closely with both new and existing partners to ensure delivery of the key opportunities identified for each of the eight towns and beyond.

The County Council will seek out opportunities to implement interventions identified in the Action Plans, in collaboration with local interest groups. To check progress, the Council will regularly monitor the success of the strategy against the identified objectives.