Plans for fourth Welsh national park set to be shelved

Nation.Cymru staff

Plans for Wales’ first new national park since 1957 look set to be rejected after a minister said environmental objectives could be achieved without creating it.

Constitution Minister Dafydd Trystan Davies told the Senedd he would not proceed with a public local inquiry into the proposed Glyndŵr National Park at this stage.

The proposal covers the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley in north-east Wales. A final decision will follow a four-week period in which further representations can be made to the minister.

Mr Davies said: “The objectives identified through the designation process may be delivered through alternative mechanisms, without establishing a new National Park Authority and without incurring the financial commitments that the designation would require.”

He said establishing the park would have cost more than £11 million and noted that all councils covering the proposed area opposed the plans.

Natural Resources Wales had concluded that the area met the criteria for national park designation. The previous Labour-led Welsh Government had promised a public local inquiry.

Campaign for National Parks criticised the announcement, describing it as a retreat from Wales’ ambitions to protect its landscapes.

The charity’s chief executive, Rose O’Neill, said: “The failure to back a public local inquiry at this time is a bitterly disappointing retreat from Wales’s National Park ambitions which demonstrates a telling lack of faith in the power and potential of Welsh National Parks from the new Government.”

She said the organisation had requested meetings with ministers and would continue making the case for designation during the four-week period.

“We strongly believe that the Glyndŵr National Park could have been an exemplar for the UK, delivering more for nature, rural communities and future generations,” she said.

Ms O’Neill pointed to NRW’s assessment and said 67% of those consulted had supported the proposal.

The charity also challenged the Plaid Cymru government to explain how it would fulfil its commitments to rural resilience and the “protection and restoration of nature-rich landscapes”.

Ms O’Neill said: “Welsh Government must urgently indicate how they now intend to protect the landscape in the area and prioritise and resource our existing National Parks and National Landscapes sufficiently so that they are fit for the future.”

‘Lack of ambition’

Labour MS Vikki Howells accused Mr Davies of a “lack of ambition” and of choosing to “duck his responsibility with what is effectively half a decision”.

The decision was taken by Mr Davies because the proposed park would fall within the Senedd constituency of Rural Resilience Minister Llyr Gruffydd, who had publicly opposed it.

Wales currently has three national parks, each with its own authority responsible for conservation and planning.

Campaign for National Parks is also calling for changes to their legal duties, increased funding, support for sustainable farming and rural transport, and wider public access.

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