Mark Drakeford in meetings to create new national park in Wales
The First Minister has said that he has been in meetings to create a new national park in Wales.
It is believed that the new park will cover the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley in the north-east – which is currently designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The area designated an AONB in 1985 includes a 21-mile chain of hills stretching from Prestatyn to Llangollen on the River Dee.
Welsh Labour had suggested in the run up to last month’s election that they were keen to give another part of the north of Wales a status like Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire Coast and the Brecon Beacons. It would be the country’s first new national park since 1957.
‘Stunning’
While visiting the north of Wales, Mark Drakeford told Wrexham.com that he was already in talks to have the area made a national park.
“The creation of a new National Park, I had a fantastic start to the morning meeting the chair and the lead officer for the area of outstanding natural beauty that’s going to become the new national park in North Wales,” he said.
“There are legal processes we’ve got to go through, consultations with local people – that’s going to take this term to make it happen.”
Before the election, he said he had been “bowled over” by the area when recently visiting for the first time.
“I must confess to you that last week, I went to a part of the Clwydian Range that I’ve never been to. It was just stunning, it was absolutely beautiful.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Consultations with local people?
Presumably – I doubt they’d just do it without asking anyone. No point in consulting on a plan that doesn’t exist yet, though.
No sign of action on second homes then?
Border Forest, now!
It’s quite an important decision, partly because it will presumably mean an end to unnecessary housebuilding surplus to Wales’ requirements, with any planning permission being in the hands of the national park authorities rather than the local councils. They’ll be hard to bribe.
Chwinc
How about saving a Sssi and Aonb site at Penrhos nature reserve, which has been a reserve for over 50yrs Holyhead Anglesey from distruction. This site has very rare flora and fauna a ancient woodland and rare wildlife great crested newts, Red squirrels, badgers, glo worms, 3 species of bat’s and yet the Isle of Anglesey Country Council granted outline planning for a Holiday style Village to a developer Land & Lake in 2016.if this goes ahead at present no funds then the ancient woodland will be felled, habitat destroyed a natural eco system lost for ever. These green spaces… Read more »
Cyngor Sir Fôn is run by Plaid Cymru!
Llangollen already suffers Venice-like problems with tourists, day-trippers, and the like. Too many public resources are aimed at faciltating the businesses which pimp out our beautiful natural and cultural sttributes, and not enough are used to help local people. There needs to be wide consultation before any decisions.
Well said
“Snowdonia”?? Eryri, shirley?
Next week we change Brecon Beacons to Bannau Brycheiniog and Pembrokeshire to Sir Benfro.
But seriously, perhaps Nation.Cymru could lead by always using the Cymraeg names of places , possibly with the English in brackets for the less obvious. So Penybont-ar-ogwr (Bridgend) but not Aberdyfi (Aberdovey)
Just hope they don’t go for the approach which was suggested for the proposed Cambrian Mountains National park in the early 1970s (abandoned). They wanted to create a true wilderness park and to forcibly evict all the people living within the park boundary! (It’s true, the papers are in LLGC)
Crazy people