THE FOREST’S sole Green district councillor was the only member of the Forest Council not to back a bid to give the Dean’s landscape more protection.

Cllr Chris McFarling, the Green councillor for Newland and St Briavels, was concerned that giving blanket Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status to the whole of the district covered by the Forest of Dean District Council could stymie clean energy development such as wind turbines.

The Forest Council backed a motion by UKIP councillor for Lydney North Alan Preest to press local MP Mark Harper, Environment Secretary Liz Truss and the chief executive of Natural England, James Cross, to make the Forest an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The council is backing a bid by the Gloucestershire branch of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) for AONB status having previously called for it back in 2008.

Cllr Preest said: “Designation of the Forest as an AONB would go a tremendous way to protecting and enhancing the landscape, beauty and amenity of our district.

“Few, if any, would disagree that we need to do all we can to protect this unique part of Europe.

“Some may be concerned that designation will stifle much-needed industrial development within our towns.

“The four market towns will be excluded from the proposed area and I firmly believe that should be the case.”

The long-time critic of onshore wind turbines added: “Windmills are one of the on-going delusions of our age.”

Cllr McFarling, who has worked in protected landscapes such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, said there could be ‘unforeseen’ consequences if the whole district was designated.

He said: “If it were the statutory Forest or the Hundred of St Briavels I’d be all for it.

“Unfortunately if it were the district of the Forest of Dean there are other unforeseen consequences.

“Clean, renewable fuel is critical to meet the demand for energy.

“We have the possibility of wind turbines which are, if community-owned, a good asset and a good answer to climate change, particularly in the Forest of Dean.

“An AONB would preclude the siting of wind turbines.

“If an AONB was proposed that encompassed the whole of the district where there are appropriate sites for single wind turbines then I could not vote for it.

“You would expect that I would be keen to have that protection. If we are proposing that the Forest of Dean becomes an AONB to prevent fracking then I would agree with that.

“I would need to be quite clear on the boundaries of the AONB because of that unintended consequences.”

The council’s backing of the AONB campaign was praised by Friends of the Forest which was set up by environmental campaigners including the CPRE, Friends of the Earth and Butterfly Conservation.

Chairman Colin Smith said: “We look forward to working with the district council in the New Year to achieve AONB status for the Forest of Dean.

“This is the best Christmas present the council could have given to all the local communities in the district who love and cherish the magnificent landscapes around them.”