Neyland

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A Portrait of Neyland’s Green Infrastructure

Figure 7.1: Neyland

A Portrait of Neyland’s Green Infrastructure

7.1 The compact town of Neyland lies at the eastern end of Milford Haven, near the mouth of the River Cleddau. The town is surrounded by hedgerow-bound agricultural fields to the north and west, however, it retains somewhat of an industrial character as historically it was an important shipping and rail terminus. The Neyland Conservation Area is contained along the southern edge and within central portions of the town, with many listed buildings related to the now defunct rail infrastructure. Regular, linear street patterns are common across the southern extents of the town, reflecting the sloping topography as the land meets the coast. From here, views are available along streets and from properties across the estuary and towards the port at Pembroke Dock located on the southern shore Within the north of the town, the street pattern is characterised by a looser suburban form.

7.2 Neyland is sited in proximity to two important waterways, the Milford Haven estuary along the southern edge of town, and Westfield Pill, which forms the eastern town boundary. The Milford Haven estuary is part of the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC), as well as the Milford Haven Waterway Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), whose designated extent, continues north, along the stream corridor of Westfield Pill.

7.3 Open spaces within Neyland are small and limited in number, with recreational fields associated with the school and athletic grounds at the northern end of the town and a small recreation space at Harbour Close Park. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path, a promoted National Trail, skirts along the town’s southern edge before continuing along the Milford Haven estuary to the east and west. A stream corridor defines the western boundary of the town at Neyland Vale. This wooded valley, acts as an important wildlife corridor connecting the wider countryside with the Milford Haven and its associated wildlife designations. Westfield Pill marks the eastern boundary of the town and contains Neyland Yacht Haven, a marina for pleasure boats. The banks of the pill also host a section of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path as well as the start of the off-road Brunel Trail cycle link which connects Neyland with Haverfordwest to the north. Along with areas of dense ancient woodland, Westfield Pill also contains the Westfield Pill Nature Reserve which is known to host otters, bats and a rich variety of invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and birds.

7.4 Few Public Rights of Way (PRoW) connect the north of the settlement with the wider landscape with most of the town’s network concentrated along the waterways and to the west of the town within the largely pastoral landscape. However, there are cycle routes which branch off the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and extend east and west along the A477 to offer wider connectivity.

Figure 7.2: GI Opportunities within Neyland

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Kickstarter Projects

NEY 4 – Utilise nature-based solutions to address water quality issues

7.5 East of the settlement of Neyland lies the Westfield Pill Nature Reserve, which is of national importance for the assemblage of overwintering wildfowl and invertebrates. The site provides a range of important habitats, both within the lake and on the surrounding land. It also drains into Milford Haven, which is designated as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The adjacent farmland is characterised by a series of steep slopes, and previous projects have identified the opportunity to implement changes to land management that would benefit water quality, reduce flood risk and decrease the risk of siltation. The entire catchment of Westfield Pill should be targeted for interventions, with a particular initial focus on the Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) owned farm lying east of Neyland.

7.6 A process of opportunity mapping using remote-sensing data has already been undertaken, identifying areas where changes in land management could deliver benefits. An initial data-gathering stage across the catchment of Westfield Pill would provide local-scale ground-truthing of these opportunities. This data-gathering and opportunity mapping stage could then swiftly be carried through to delivery of a range of land-use change and interventions, which may include;

Creating riparian buffer strips, reducing grazing in proximity to watercourses;
Formalising areas of livestock watering, so enabling the erection of fences along watercourse to protect them from bank erosion, bank poaching and manure impact;
Planting of field margins and shelter belts with trees / shrubs to increase water retention; and

7.7 Creating natural dams within small watercourses, slowing flow and increasing diversity of habitats within the landscape.

Figure 7.3: NEY4

Benefits of the project

7.8 Benefits of the project, as depicted in Figure 7.4 below, include:

Reduces the risk of flooding
Enhances water quality
Space for wildlife and ecological resilience
Carbon sequestration & climate mitigation

Figure 7.4: Benefits

Delivery of nature-based solutions and ecosystem services

7.9 Land use management since the Second Word War has involved increased drainage of the land, in a drive to maximise the efficiency of farmland. This has led to the reduction in the diversity of habitats, the loss of wetlands, wet-grassland and associated wet terrestrial habitats. It has also increased flood risk, as it increases the speed and volume of water flow down catchments, reducing the buffering effect of the landscape during heavy and prolonged rainfall events. Increased drainage of wet soils also has a detrimental effect on the ability of that soil to sequester carbon.

7.10 Through the use of techniques such as riparian buffer strips, planting of shelter belts and field margins, the ability of the landscape to absorb and buffer rainfall and surface runoff would be significantly increased. This would have a concomitant beneficial impact on flood risk, water quality and carbon sequestration, as re-wetting of wetland soils would increase their capacity to absorb and lock-in carbon.

Delivery mechanisms

7.11 Initially, it is proposed that the project could be targeted on a local, site-specific level by undertaking a survey to ground-truth the presence and scale of opportunity areas that have been identified to date using remote-sensing techniques. This survey could be undertaken by suitably trained citizen scientists, Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) staff or by an external specialist consultant. Once areas of key opportunity have been ground-truthed and defined, it would be necessary to engage with landowners and land occupiers / graziers in order to present these opportunities and discuss their impacts on current land-use. This may lead to the loss of some opportunities for reasons of commercial and physical agricultural constraints.

7.12 The proposed physical interventions and amendments to land management should be delivered by the landowners themselves, or by external agricultural contractors.

Potential partners

Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
West Wales Rivers Trust
Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum

Outline cost

Low cost = <£250k

7.13 It is envisaged that this project may cost tens of thousands or less, dependent upon the area of catchment targeted for interventions. Costs would comprise some limited specialist advice / land agent fees, fencing and tree planting costs and possible costs associated with the installation of alternative livestock watering apparatus.

Potential funding opportunities

Emerging Welsh Government Sustainable Farming Scheme
National Forest for Wales – The Woodland Investment Grant (National Lottery Heritage Fund – Round 1)

Timescale

Quick win = <1 year

7.14 Physical interventions could be delivered within a single year. A key unknown for the project would be the time taken to gain landowner / occupier / grazier agreements / consents.

Potential constraints

7.15 A key constraint for the project would be landowner / occupier / grazier agreements, as there may be a perceived risk to farm viability associated with some loss of land to riparian margins / shelter belts / field margin planting etc. There may also be resistance to alteration of watercourses with respect to land drainage concerns. These concerns should be countered with the availability of agricultural payments for environmental goods and services, and hence the delayed launch of the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme is a potential constraint in this regard.

Maintenance and stewardship

7.16 Maintenance of the softworks and wetland would be required as part of the 60 month establishment phase, including the replacement of failed trees.

Monitoring for success

7.17 Subject to the availability of funding, monitoring of the success of the project should be undertaken through simple citizen science, with suitable support. Techniques could include the monitoring of water quality using simple hand-held equipment, or the installation of a simple stream-gauge to monitor streamflow, for example.

Next steps

7.18 Secure limited funding (£1k to £10k) to ground truth remote sensing across the catchment, creating a priority list of areas for intervention.

7.19 Engage with landowners / occupiers / graziers and enter into agreements to deliver interventions on their land.

Figure 7.5: Neyland

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NEY12 – Create wildflower verges along The Promenade

7.20 The gradient of the grassed bank bordering The Promenade is too steep to provide a recreational function, including land lying between Church Lakes and Riverside Avenue. Relaxation of the existing mowing regime would encourage a longer and more diverse sward that would provide habitat for a variety of species, namely pollinators. To increase species diversity, native wildflower seed should be sown, or wildflower turf laid. Consideration should also be given to the use of salt-tolerant wildflower species due to the proximity to the coast. The inclusion of yellow rattle within the species mix would help control the establishment of vigorous grasses. In the spring and summer, the establishment of wildflower meadows would also enhance the appearance of the town for those leaving or entering via the B4325.

7.21 Signage plays an important role in communicating to the public the benefits of wildflower meadow establishment. This can help overcome perceptions of ‘messiness’ by raising awareness regarding the importance of pollinators.

7.22 On the lower slopes, additional small-scale tree planting would be appropriate. However, views across Milford Haven should be retained.

Figure 7.6: NEY12