AT THE Group's last meeting, we welcomed FoE Cymru's Director, Gareth Clubb. He spoke about the actions FoE Cymru are taking over the proposed M4 route through special environments around Newport, the continued demand for Open-Cast Coal and the madness of building a Racetrack on top of the mountains, at Rassau. All of these proposals would cause huge environmental damage.

The group are glad to see some agreement on Climate Change in the Peru talks and hope much more will be done to save the planet from catastrophic climate changes, in the Paris 2015 international meeting.

Local issues were also discussed. The group felt that development money from the new funfair and associated housing should be spent on making Barry Island's Promenade and Frontage more pedestrian friendly, with less parking space and further improvements for public access, including provision for park and ride facilities, in the town.

Vale councillor Ian Johnson also attended the meeting and provided useful insights into proposed mergers between the Vale and Cardiff/Bridgend Councils.

The group have asked Cllr Johnson to cut through the bureaucratic fog the Vale council have put up over changes to plans for an incinerator on Barry Dock.

Local footpath changes remain a concern, some people unaware that footpaths still marked on maps, lead through their new front doors.