GWENT Wildlife Trust have expressed their “surprise and disappointment” following Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) recent U-turn on the Circuit of Wales development proposal.
The £280m race track in Rassau, Ebbw Vale, was recently given its blessing by NRW following months of discussions.
In a statement the trust said: “This scheme represents a devastating blow to the wildlife of Blaenau Gwent, an area that has suffered considerably with inappropriate, poorly mitigated developments over the years that claim economic regeneration.
“Circuit of Wales represented the first real challenge for NRW to show what we can expect for the future protection of the Welsh environment. What we have witnessed, in that respect, is a devastating failure. If this is precedent for forthcoming positions from NRW then we should all be seriously concerned for the future of Wales and its wonderful wildlife.”
It added: “The recent State of Nature Report stated how 60 per cent of our native species are in decline, Circuit of Wales will do nothing but aid this depressing statistic.”
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