MORE than 600 people have signed a petition supporting calls to declare Barry's Old Harbour a local nature reserve (LNR) but Vale of Glamorgan Council says the proposal could not be pursued at this time due to resources and funding.

In May 2025 a petition from Rob Curtis was submitted on behalf of Barry Action for Nature calling on the council to declare a local nature reserve (LNR) at Barry's Old Harbour to help protect local wildlife.

It raised concerns that jet ski users and some irresponsible dog walkers were disturbing nesting and feeding birds and it also raised concerns about sewage pollution in the area.

The petition says: "Saltwater marsh is one of the rarest habitats in the UK. The Old Harbour's saltwater marsh supports wintering red listed species such as curlew and whimbrel.

"It also supports other waders and seabirds such as shelduck, grey heron, little egret, knot, and redshank.

"We call on the Vale of Glamorgan Council to declare this area a local nature reserve which can contribute to the Welsh Government's aim of protecting 30% of Wales for nature by 2030.

"We are concerned that jet ski users and some irresponsible dog walkers are disturbing resting and feeding birds.

"We are also concerned at the sewage pollution currently being discharged into this harbour. Please help us protect our local wildlife."

But council officers have responded saying the council currently faced several challenges in undertaking the proposal to declare the Old Harbour in Barry as a reserve including resources such as changes in staffing and workload and funding with budget pressures on council departments meaning other sources of funding would be needed and this could not be guaranteed.

The reason given within the petition as to why this was important was due to wildlife throughout the UK facing the destruction of much of their habitat and therefore a desperate need for more LNRs to reverse this trend.

In terms of support there were 604 signatures received for the hard copy version of the petition, plus three signatures for a previous E-petition on this topic meaning a total of 607 signatures had been received.

In response to the petition council officers had been asked to provide information regarding the council's position and proposal and they say the proposal could not be pursued at this time and should be reconsidered in the next financial year.

They say in principle this location could be considered as a LNR but it would have to have sufficient wildlife value to warrant designation. An initial search on Aderyn reveals there are about 20 or so species identified under section seven of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 which are of conservation concern.

Most of these are estuarine birds or birds of prey though there are a few butterflies and moths.

They also say the bay represents one of the only opportunities for seagrass planting in the Vale, which is known for prodigious carbon capture.

There have been discussions with the Seagrass Project about such opportunities as part of the coastal development project but officers say due to lack of funds the coastal project is in abeyance at this time.

They add the guidance is clear that the council should have aims and objectives in declaring a LNR, an idea of how it will manage it, monitor it, engage the public, opportunities for education, and what the costs are.

Officers say the potential for this location to be declared a reserve should be considered in conjunction with other possible locations within the county which may, for various reasons, be considered to be a higher priority for such a designation, such as Rhoose Point.

They add funding for the proposed LNR, and the challenges around it, needed to be considered and this would need to rely on potential sources of external funding, such as the Local Nature Partnership (LNP), although this could not be guaranteed.

They also say funding for the current Vale LNP would only be secured until March 2027 due to both the Place and Neighbourhood Services departments being under severe budgetary pressures and therefore having to look for outside financial support to take this forward.

Officers says the council currently faced several challenges in undertaking the proposal to declare the Old Harbour in Barry as an LNR including resources such as changes in staffing and workload.

An example is the imminent retirement of the county ecologist and his replacement by a new member of staff in this role who, although experienced, would be inheriting and handling the ongoing workload which means the council could not commit to this proposal at this time.

The officers added that current budgetary pressures for the relevant council directorates and departments meant other sources of funding would need to be sought but this would rely on external funding and support which could not be guaranteed.

They say that "due to the previous points raised this proposal could not be pursued at this time and should be reconsidered in the next financial year".

The petition was discussed at a meeting of the council's Place scrutiny committee on Tuesday, January 20, and the committee agreed in principle with the LNR designation and that additional work was needed to identify the resource requirements of designating the site as part of a process that will consider any other sites that might also warrant being designated as a LNR.

They recommended that officers work with Barry Action for Nature and other relevant groups to identify and address and immediate risks to wildlife at the Old Harbour site and any immediate actions to address those risks.

They also recommended Welsh Water Dwr Cymru and Natural Resources Wales are invited to attend the committee in March to address bathing water quality and the impact of sewage discharge on wildlife in the Vale.