Carmarthenshire residents demanded the Towy Valley be named an area of natural beauty at a public meeting.

Carmarthenshire Residents’ Action Group (CRAiG Sir Gâr) held its maiden assembly at St Peter’s Civic Hall on March 16.

Calls for a halt on the industrialisation of Carmarthenshire’s countryside and a Towy Valley Area of Natural Beauty (AONB) were prominent at the meeting of more than 100 people.

MPs Jonathan Edwards and Simon Hart, and Rachel Evans of the Countryside Alliance spoke.

The meeting illuminated issues such as Welsh Government’s Future Wales 2040 plan and its proposal for a third of Carmarthenshire to be dedicated to industrial windfarm development.

This could result in the equivalent of ten windfarms the size of Brechfa, to meet Carmarthenshire’s 588.5 mw renewables target.

Fears were also sparked in relation to Carmarthenshire’s funding of Bute Energy through its pensions scheme, and Plaid Cymru's recent elevation of Bute Energy’s public affairs officer Carmen Smith.

Spokesperson for CRAiG Sir Gâr, Harvard Hughes, said: "Saturday’s packed event at St Peter’s Civic Hall marks the first in a series of campaign events for CRAiG as we push forward with our demand for a moratorium on the pylons and turbines and for an AONB for the Tywi Valley."

Mr Hughes further noted their concern for Carmarthenshire’s rural way of life and the existential threat that the rural communities and Welsh language are facing due to policies set by the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council.

Mr Hughes urged residents to approach their politicians and request Natural Resources Wales to commence the AONB designation for the Tywi Valley process.

He also encouraged residents to sign the Senedd petition 246039, which calls for the recognition of the Tywi Valley as an AONB.