On 26th September 2005 the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) recognised the importance of the embankments of Llanishen and Lisvane reservoir for grassland fungi by notifying them as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is a great step forward in the RAG campaign to protect the reservoirs, as the Council Planning Committee are extremely unlikely to approve any planning application that might damage an SSSI. The notification procedure involves a citation which describes the important features of the site; a map showing the SSSI boundaries, a management plan, and a list of potentially damaging operations over which the owner is obliged to consult CCW. These documents can all be read by clicking on the links below. (They are Adobe Acrobat pdf files, some are quite large.)
Citation
Map (areas in pink show extent of new SSSI)
Management Plan
Damaging operations
Following the notification, the owners (Western Power), have a period of four months in which to lodge any representations. CCW will then consider these representations before confirming the notification. This must happen within nine months of the original notification date (26/09/05).
The presence of an SSSI does not absolutely rule out any future development, but it is difficult to overstate its importance to our campaign to save this unique area for future generations. We have long-argued that this site is of international importance for the conservation of grassland fungi, and it is great news that CCW have acted to protect them in this way. We are very appreciative of their stand to protect our local biodiversity from the destructive grasp of a profiteering multi-national corporation.