A Strategic Vision for Hafod

To help reconcile the wishes of all those with an interest in Hafod, including the public for whose benefit the project exists, the Hafod Partnership has drawn up the following policy statement:

A Summary of the policy of the Hafod Conservation Partnership

• Background: Hafod Uchdryd is one of the most important Picturesque landscapes in Europe. Having suffered damage and dereliction early in the twentieth century Hafod is currently a working forest, and home to a wide range of animals and plants, some of them rare. It is also a favoured place for walkers.
• Balances: The conservation of the genius of the place at Hafod for public benefit will entail sustainable balances between financial objectives; protection and access; growth and decay; upkeep and renewal; work and leisure; continuity and innovation. The Hafod Advisory Panel is an independent source of guidance on such issues.
• Landscape: At the core of the estate, the Partnership aims to re-capture Johnes's concept of a working, wooded parkland, in the Picturesque style.
• Ecology: The ecological value and diversity of Hafod will be safeguarded and enhanced, with particular regard to Schedule 1 birds, upland oak woodlands, lichens, bryophytes and fungi.
• Built Heritage: Historic man-made structures, together with modified natural features, will be protected, and - where they contribute to the Picturesque experience - conserved.
• Public Access: For walkers intent on relative solitude and quiet enjoyment of landscape and nature, access will be facilitated by re-opening historic paths, where this can be done safely and in the light of later land-use.
• Research and Education: On-going surveys, research, archaeology and evaluation will be the basis for planning, management and public information. A programme of education will be pursued.
• Consultation and the Community: The Partnership with consult closely with land owners and other stakeholders. It will actively support the local economy and employment, (including, trainees and volunteers), and provide facilities for less-able people and the enhancement of traditional skills.
• Funding: Implementing this strategic vision for Hafod will initially require extra funding, based on the grant-aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Financial self-sufficiency for the estate is a desirable long-term objective.