Transport for Wales (TfW) are set to enhance nine areas across Wales, as they will receive benefits from a £100,000 funding pot, which will be used to improve the nature pockets and existing woodlands. This initiative comes in collaboration between the operator, local communities, and partners on the Coed Cymunedol (Community Woodlands) project.
The £100,00 funding to deliver the project has come from the Welsh Government and National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Community Woodlands Scheme. The implementation of the operation will help to inform the Welsh Government’s approach to the long-term development of the National Forrest for Wales (NfW).
This project is set to be conducted over the course of nine months, seeing local councils, social enterprises and community charities come together with the sole ambition to create new woodland sites and improve and enhance existing woodlands in nine areas across Wales.
The schemes will include the implementation of a new urban woodland walkway, which will connect to an existing rail station, creating more accessibility and interconnectivity between nature and the transport service. A new nature reserve will also be created on a disused car park, optimising space where possible.
New trees with a native mixture of species will be planted in various areas alongside the established native woodlands to improve the natural health within the affected communities. This will come alongside the maintenance works that will include path restoration and creation, improved accessibility, and the introduction of way-markers, fencing and signage.
The investment into woodland maintenance and ecological preservation around the rail stations and across the country shows a dedicated ambition to support local communities and achieve a more ecologically friendly rail service.
Leyton Powell, Director for Safety and Sustainability for Transport for Wales, said:
“The Coed Cymunedol project will help make woodlands more accessible and more resilient, supporting the health and well-being of communities and providing areas for increased wildlife biodiversity and connectivity. Projects like this are important to us at TfW, creating a more connected network means more than better transport options. By working closely with our communities, we can ensure that we’re building a network that Wales needs, deserves, and is fit for future generations.”
The project is set to begin in June 2022, with the works set to be conducted through the course of 2022 culminating in a nine-month duration of ecological maintenance and restoration. TfW are approaching this initiative with the ambition to make public transport more connected to the communities that are being catered for and creating better overall passenger services.
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