A year on from a successful campaign to protect open space at Ger-y-Coed in Brackla, new efforts are being made to improve and secure the land.
Although a motion towards the end of 2020 calling for Bridgend Council to introduce local referendums on major planning decisions was unsuccessful, plans for a new Welsh-medium primary school to replace Ysgol Bro Ogwr were formally dropped by BCBC earlier in 2021.
Despite the failure of the motion, the council as a whole broadly agreed with the sentiment behind it and Brackla Community Council also support the principle of protecting the land from development (and making improvements to the Foxfields open space too).
More recently there have been moves to protect an unofficial right of way across the site, while according to the Save Our Fields group, representatives from the woodlands organisation Llais y Goedwig have been tasked with seeking views from residents on the future of the land.
Some of the suggestions so far include a seating area, extra bins, improvements to footpaths (including improved access from Lark Rise) and improved disabled access.
I’ve previously suggested the entire area (including the Brackla Ridge woodlands above the 8Xs) could become a community nature reserve (similar to the Craig y Parcau woods at Newbridge Fields and Tremains Woods), but that might be too ambitious for the foreseeable future.
A meeting with Llais y Goedwig is taking place at the Ger-y-Coed entrance today (5th November 2021) at 12 pm – so this piece is short notice. However, I’m sure if you have any comments or observations they’ll be welcome on the Save Our Fields Facebook page.
