The Climate Change & Nature Recovery Service Transformation Committee met on Monday to discuss bus reform, commemorative woodlands, artificial grass, local nature reserves and the committee's work plan. The committee agreed to endorse a position statement on artificial grass, and noted a report on declaring new local nature reserves. The committee also approved the work plan for 2025-26.

Artificial Grass Position Statement

The committee approved a recommendation to report the Artificial Grass Position Statement to Cabinet with a recommendation of support. The council also agreed to raise awareness of the environmental impacts associated with artificial grass and promote sustainable landscaping practices as an alternative.

The report noted that artificial grass has become increasingly popular for residential lawns and commercial landscapes, marketed as a low-maintenance alternative to natural grass. However, the report also highlighted numerous environmental concerns:

• Biodiversity: Replacing natural grass can lead to habitat loss for insects, birds, and other wildlife, and restricts soil aeration.
• Climate Change: Artificial grass absorbs and retains more heat than natural grass, contributing to the urban heat island effect¹. The manufacturing of a 60sqm artificial lawn can generate approximately 435kg of CO2 emissions.
• Resource Intensive Production: Artificial grass is typically made from nonrenewable petroleum resources, and its production involves significant energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Lifespan and Recycling: Artificial grass has a limited lifespan of 10 – 20 years and is not widely recycled in Wales.
• Microplastic and Chemical Pollution: Infill materials like crumb rubber can degrade into microplastics, and maintenance chemicals can lead to runoff into nearby waterways.

The report acknowledged that artificial grass has acceptable uses for specific purposes in limited locations, such as sports pitches, playgrounds or temporary surfacing.

The council has declared both a climate and a nature emergency and has a duty to nature recovery through the Environmental Act (Wales) 2016, Section 6 duty. The adoption of a corporate position would contribute to the council's duties under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The committee reviewed two versions of the position statement, one an infographic and the other a text-only version for visually impaired users.

Declaring New Local Nature Reserves

The committee noted a report on the next steps required to progress the declaration of new Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) on council land and provided comment on the next steps required to progress the declaration of new Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) on council land.

The report sought approval to progress the formal declaration of 16 new Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) on council-owned land across Swansea. These designations will help meet both environmental and community priorities by protecting local biodiversity, while enhancing access to safe, inclusive green spaces for people across the county.

To be eligible, sites must have wildlife or natural features of local and/or special interest, and the authority must either own the land or secure an agreement to manage it.

The report noted that Welsh Government has committed to protecting at least 30% of land and sea for nature by 2030 ('30by30') and is looking to Local Authorities and other public bodies to contribute towards this target. The proposed LNRs are already recognised, wholly or in part, as Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs)[^3].

The council has secured Welsh Government 'Local Places for Nature' funding until March 2027, enabling delivery of detailed ecological surveys, public engagement, some small-scale enhancement works, and long-term management planning within that period.

The committee considered two options:

• Declare all 16 LNRs in one coordinated process
• Phased or incremental declaration over several years

The recommended option was to declare all 16 LNRs in one coordinated process.

Extensive internal and external engagement has supported the development of this proposal. Wider community engagement is now beginning and will run through to early 2026, led by a dedicated outreach contractor.

Work Plan 2025-26

The committee approved the updated Committee Work Plan 2025/26, which will focus upon four themes: transport; green infrastructure; adaptation & mitigation; and waste.