Residents in Cwmbran and the Norfolk Broads face controversy as plans to fell trees affected by ash dieback and remove a yurt are met with opposition from officials and experts, highlighting concerns over environmental impact and flood risk.
Trees on Canal Bank in Cwmbran May be Felled
A resident of Pontnewydd, Cwmbran has sought permission to remove two mature ash trees from her property, located on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal bank. Hilary Wilcox of Five Locks Close submitted the application, citing a tree surgeon’s diagnosis that both trees are affected by ash dieback.
The recommendation to fell the trees “as a matter of urgency” was made by Robert Richards of Torfaen Tree Consultancy. Richards also suggested deferring the work until September to accommodate advice from Torfaen Borough Council’s ecologist regarding nesting birds.
Yurt Dispute in Norfolk Broads
A couple managing a wildlife site in the Norfolk Broads have been ordered to remove a yurt after losing a planning dispute. Steve Hooper and Mary Alexander, who operate the rewilding site Blackwater Carr in Postwick, built the yurt for research and educational purposes. Despite support from locals and the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance’s chair Henry Cator, the Broads Authority refused permission, citing landscape impact and flood risk.
Inspector James Blackwell later upheld the decision against the appeal, noting the site’s floodplain risk outweighed potential benefits, and the couple now must likely remove the yurt.