Protesters have gathered to voice their dismay as the Welsh Senedd approaches a decision on a new motorway route
Holly Butterworth is a communications volunteer for Friends of the Earth
Hundreds of campaigners came together outside the Welsh Senedd to protest against construction plans for an extension of the M4 which they say will threaten local wildlife.
The plans, which were originally proposed in the early 1990s, are intended to alleviate congestion on the M4 around Newport.
Phil Ward (far left), Julian Rosso (middle) and Terry Howell (right) have been campaigning against the road for 27 years
The 14 mile stretch of road would cut through four sites of special scientific interest (SSSI), areas which have been deemed worthy of conservation due to their fauna, flora and geographical features.
“If this goes through then no SSSIs are safe anywhere in the country,” said Kate Gibbs, from Llanfairfechan. “It would set a terrible precedent.”
The area in question, known as the Gwent Levels, is home to various species of wildlife including otters, waterfowl and the rare shrill carder bee. Gwent Wildlife Trust describe it as the Amazon of Wales in terms of biodiversity.
Rebecca Harford from Friends of the Earth said, “The M4 ‘black route’ is an old-fashioned and backwards-looking solution, which goes against the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015) and the Environment (Wales) Act 2016.”
“We’ve got a lot of species there you don’t get in other places,“ said Friends of the Earth volunteer Holly Butterworth.
Wales does have a serious problem with traffic. Last year traffic jams cost the Welsh economy almost £278 million.
Eco Vagabonds manager, Autumn Martinez, said on social media, the road was necessary because of people’s lifestyles. “These main roads exist so that goods and produce are imported. As long as we consume and do long distance travel, larger, safer and more roads will be required.”
But the protestors say the new road is not the solution Wales needs.
“All we are going to be doing in Newport is exporting our problem onto Cardiff,” said president of Gwent Wildlife Trust, Roger James. “That is where the motorway ends, so you’ll have a large amount of people disgorging onto what is already a crowded capital city.”
The protestors suggest alternatives such as free buses, park and ride, or improving the condition of the current road.
Roger said these alternatives should be attempted before the government resort to building a new road.
The protest took place on 4 December, in anticipation of the imminent assembly vote on the road. Speakers against the new road included leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price and deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Amelia Womack.
The decision has now been pushed back and will be held under the new first minister.