Cabinet to consider formal objection to National Park plan

Alec Doyle – Local democracy reporter

Councillors are to decide whether cost and cultural impact concerns are enough to oppose plans to create a new National Park in Wales.

The council’s Cabinet will decide whether to formally object to Welsh Government’s proposals to create Wales’ fourth National Park across parts of Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Powys.

If it goes ahead Glyndŵr National Park will be Wales’ first new national park in 68 years. Despite the Welsh Government’s commitment to the project however, within Flintshire there are a number of concerns regarding its economic and cultural impact.

Cost is the biggest concern, with officers and members of Flintshire’s  Environment and Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee highlighting worries that a potential increase in house prices within the park pricing out Welsh-speakers.

They were also concerned about the park restricting space for housing development and economic growth and adding significant cost and admin pressure to the region with no firm pledge that Welsh Government or Natural Resources Wales will cover the costs.

Flintshire’s Cabinet will meet to discuss its objection on Tuesday.

Following an initial consultation some changes were made to the plans, including the reinstatement of the Gronant and Talacre Dunes area, a refining of the park boundary to better focus on the areas of natural beauty in the uplands, intersecting valleys and coastal edge plus the the removal of a large area of settled lowlands within Powys.

But these concessions have not allayed fears that a new National Park could send council costs spiralling – as well as having a negative impact on the Welsh language.

“The council acknowledges the positive aspects that such a designation may bring to the area in terms of the protection and enhancement of the natural environment plus the increased opportunities which may arise for the tourism sector,” said the council’s draft response.

“However, at this stage and on the basis of the information available at present, we cannot support the proposals.

“The council has the concerns in relation to the development of a National Park.

“The potential future short and long term costs to the council of establishing and operating the National Park – at this stage there are no details of how the establishment of the park will be funded, nor how it will be maintained in the longer-term.

“The potential future costs to individuals living in and outside the proposed National Park -again, there is a paucity of detail in relation to the financial burden which may be placed on existing Flintshire residents both inside and outside the proposed park boundary.

“Another level of bureaucracy – when councils and the public sector generally are experiencing increased pressures, it is not considered that the creation of another public sector body with its own governance structures, staffing, capital budgets and overview and scrutiny arrangements is prudent use of public money.

“The current National Landscape of the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley are already doing an effective job of protecting the landscape and natural environment of the area. If the areas to the south within Wrexham and Powys are lacking protection from inappropriate development, the extension and renaming of the existing National Landscape would seem like a pragmatic mechanism to achieve those aims without introducing and funding another public body.

“The National Park placing more burden on the remaining areas of Flintshire outside the park – the Park Authority will have limited aims, mainly to protect and enhance the natural environment. This constraint on growth will place an increased burden on areas within Flintshire but outside the boundary to meet the county’s growth ambitions.

“Meanwhile, within the park the level of development will be restricted. The establishment of the National Park would inevitably trigger an immediate review of our recently adopted Local Development Plan.”