We the undersigned call on the Vale of Glamorgan Council to drop their plans to lease areas of Porthkerry Country Park to private businesses in order to create camping/pods and an outdoor tourism activity.
We believe that this beautiful country park should remain for the enjoyment of both wildlife and people.
Why is this important?
Development of this much loved Country Park could lead to more parking, roads, paths and buildings and an inevitable increase in visitors, sewage and litter,in what is a very sensitive ecological Area. The idea of leasing these areas to private companies could lead to local residents being excluded from large sections of the park.
We believe that the Vale of Glamorgan Council have not considered the impact these development plans would have on the local wildlife. Porthkerry supports many vulnerable wildlife species such as adders, bats, bull finches and a number of rare tree and plant species (venomous snakes and people in tents do not mix).
Even more concerning is the fact that the Vale of Glamorgan Council has completely ignored the findings of the ground breaking "State of Nature" report. This report clearly stated that the UK has lost 40per cent of it's wildlife since the 1950's and that e everyone has a duty, including all levels of government, to do their utmost to help protect the UK's remaining wildlife. Instead of looking for development opportunities the Council should be looking at extending these parks and helping to protect our biodiversity.