Llangattock Community Council has written to Wales' First Minister, the Welsh Government Minister for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca Davies, David Chadwick MP, Jane Dodds AS/MS and Welsh Lib Dem Cllr Jackie Charlton for Llangattock and Llangynidr to express its concerns about the future of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. The letter, from the Clerk, said:
"Llangattock Community Council (LCC) has asked me to contact you about a recent letter the Canal River Trust (CRT) sent to stakeholders on the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal (Mon and Brec) regarding water abstraction.
The Mon and Brec runs through Llangattock. It is a well-used and much-valued resource for walking, cycling, boating, and other forms of recreation. The canal is a vital wildlife corridor and a haven for biodiversity. It is also a significant tourist attraction, providing employment through tourism businesses on and near the canal. The canal is fed by the River Usk, which also runs through Llangattock and is similarly valued by residents, and its tributaries.
In its letter, CRT says recent decisions to limit water abstraction or pay for licences could pose them with a choice “between having to pay prohibitive costs for additional water supply; severely restricting the use of the canal to keep it from running completely dry; or, at worst, seeing structural failure, environmental harm and damage to the local economy because of a lack of water. In a dry year, the canal could be forced to close for considerably longer and not solely in the summer months when people expect to enjoy it.”
While we understand from media reports that Natural Resources Wales (NRW) prioritises the needs of the Usk during climate change, LCC is also concerned about both the future viability of the canal and the wider economy. The Council asks you to use your influence to urge upon NRW the need to come up with a balanced solution which allows both waterways to thrive."
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