Law firm plays key role in £6.5m eco project

Manchester law firm Mills & Reeve has been advising on a £6.5m project to restore Snowdonia’s 400-year-old oak rainforest.

The team has advised Snowdonia’s National Park Authority (SNPA) on several agreements on its Celtic Rainforest Wales project which is being funded with £2m from the Welsh Government and access to a further £4.5m from the EU’s LIFE programme.

The scheme, which is a partnership between several organisations including the RSPB, Cymru, the Woodland Trust, Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water, aims to revive the Welsh Woodlands by eradicating invasive rhododendron plants and thinning out conifer plantations to enable trees and wildlife to flourish.

The team advised on the co-financing agreements between the SNPA and separately The National Trust, Welsh Water and Natural Resource Wales, the partnership agreements between the SNPA, the RSPB and the Woodland Trust, and the licences for the SNPA to eradicate the rhododendron.

Paul Knight, partner in the Mills & Reeve team, said: “The project to revive the ancient woodland will play a vital role in helping to protect the Welsh eco-system and preserve local communities, and we are delighted to advise SNPA on this excellent restoration programme which will ensure that the forests are protected for future generations.”