As the Senedd member for Newport East, one of the things I am most proud of is having a large part of the Gwent Levels in my constituency – an area of land shaped by the Romans.

When you drive across the Prince of Wales Bridge into Wales, one of the first things you will see is this unique and historic landscape, which sits alongside the Severn estuary from Chepstow down to Cardiff and the Bristol Channel.

Over the years, I think it is fair to say we have taken the Levels for granted with too little protection, care and enhancement.

Thankfully we now see strong commitment from Welsh Government to safeguarding this precious environment, its biodiversity and ecosystems.

Our First Minister Mark Drakeford has championed the Levels making clear how much he values the area and its value to Wales.

Following the First Minister’s request that I chair a working group to look at the issues and how to address them I have been working closely with officials from Welsh Government, local council representatives, environmental campaigners and other organisations to look at ways to sustain and enhance the area.

This week in the Senedd, the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, updated the Senedd about the progress being made to protect what is one of Wales' most important green areas.

Responding to her statement, one of the areas I asked about was strengthening the planning guidance due to controversial applications for development on the Levels.

While the Minister can’t comment on individual applications, I was pleased to hear her say that Welsh Government is taking the approach of putting biodiversity and ecosystem resilience at the heart of future planning policies.

During her statement, she also announced extra funding to support the Living Levels Partnership for a further 18 months.

During the pandemic, I believe there has been a greater appreciation of our green spaces – and that has been evident with some of the great community engagement work with the partnership.

The extension of this funding will not only help continue this great work, but also support the restoration and preservation of the area. This means both current and future generations, not just locally, but from all across Wales will be able to continue to enjoy the fantastic Gwent Levels.