7. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the green corridors on the trunk road and motorway network initiative? OAQ52630

Yes. Officials are currently carrying out investigations into the potential measures that would be applied, and I will write to Members later this year to update everybody on the progress with the initiative, including proposals for future years.

Diolch, Cabinet Secretary. I really do welcome this initiative. Given that we're having more extreme weather events, and those include exceptionally heavy rainfall, I believe that it is more important than ever that we do start to address some solutions on our byways and highways and help to reduce some of that surface water flooding. I know that you've mentioned that the A470 is one of the roads that will benefit from this scheme, but do you have any other further details on the vast road network that my area covers in mid and west Wales?

Yes, of course, and I would agree with the Member that we will need to look at specifically what tree species we plant in the future to adapt to climate change. It may well be that we see more Wellingtonia or Cedar of Lebanon planted across Wales, and I think that would enhance the natural environment and the beauty of many communities. In the short term, though, I'm keen to make sure that the green corridors initiative not only improves the appearance and impressions of destinations, but that they also contribute to improving the quality of place and, therefore, the degree of pride that people have in their communities. And with specific regard to the region that the Member has identified, I am very pleased to say that, with regard to gateways, we're looking at extending the initiative to the A483 at Llanymynech, we're looking at the A458 at Buttington, the A40 at Fishguard, the A4076 at Milford Haven and the A477 at Pembroke Dock. In terms of the Wales Way, a key visitor destination attraction, a route covering the Cambrian Way and Coastal Way, we're looking at the A470 and also the A487. I'd agree with the Member that this is a relatively inexpensive but high-impact intervention, and in terms of being able to present Wales as a place of beauty and a place of the great outdoors, I think this is an invaluable intervention.

And finally, David Melding. 

Cabinet Secretary, I welcome this initiative, but it's taken us a long time to design, build and maintain roads to this sort of standard, and I just wonder why we still have a fairly selective approach. I just wonder whether the improvements planned between Dowlais Top and Hirwaun will be part of this solution as well, because roads are a huge intervention in the natural environment, particularly the more fragile ones, and many of them, obviously, exist in Wales. The fragmentation of sites and the destruction of irreplaceable habitats can often be involved in the operation of roads. So, whilst I welcome this, I do think it should be mainstreamed completely, really, in terms of building, maintaining and improving roads.

I'd agree that we do need to see an extension of this initiative beyond our trunk roads and I very much welcome any local authority that presents ideas on how local roads can benefit from the green corridors initiative. One of the proudest achievements of my time as a community councillor was when we had a campaign, a local campaign in Pantymwyn, to try to make it the village with the highest per capita ratio of daffodils, so we embarked on a very big daffodil planting campaign, and some of the main roads into that particular village became lined with daffodils. It certainly did enhance not just pride in the area but also the attractiveness of the area, especially as you entered the village. So, I do think we should see this programme rolled out, not just across more trunk roads, but also, if possible, to local roads as well. Also, as the Member rightly identifies, it also helps to not just mitigate but also to compensate for the loss of wildlife habitats elsewhere. I'm very keen that when we develop new trunk roads we don't just talk about mitigation, which is essentially replacing like with like, but that we actually look at a fairer compensation strategy that sees an enhancement to the natural environment as a consequence road building.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.