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Public consultation launched into plans for new National Park in Wales

By Mark Mansfield
The Clwydian Range

A public consultation has been launched into plans for a new National Park in Wales.

The Welsh Government has commissioned National Resources Wales to assess the evidence and case for a new National Park and make a recommendation.

The 10-week consultation will run from 7 October to 16 December 2024.

If the plans are approved the new National Park would be the first in Wales in almost 70 years.

The pledge to establish Wales’ first new national park since 1957 formed part of Welsh Labour’s manifesto at the last Senedd election in 2021.

A study area (referred to as the Area of Search), based on the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley ‘National Landscape’ has been identified as a potential location for the park and was shared during a public engagement period in late 2023.

The public consultation events will be an opportunity for people to learn more about the project and evidence gathered to date, ask questions of the team and share feedback on the draft boundary map referred to as the Candidate Area Map.

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Inclusive

Ash Pearce, Programme Manager in NRW’s Designated Landscapes Programme team said:
While we have a statutory procedure to follow, we want to ensure that this is an inclusive process and that people have the opportunity to share their views on the proposals.

“Early engagement has given us a much clearer picture of the issues, hopes and concerns of the local people and stakeholders. We have identified eleven themes that underline both risks and opportunities for the area.

“These reflect concerns about over tourism and the impact on housing, but also the hopes for better management, responsible access, conservation and nature’s recovery.

“If a new National Park is established, then it must be able to manage the risks and take advantage of the opportunities available, for the betterment of nature, people, and communities.

“We have amended the study area in response to local feedback and in the past year, appointed three separate independent consultants to help us develop the evidence that will inform our recommendation. As a result of this work, we now have Candidate Area map that we want to share with the public.

“We encourage anyone interested, to attend one of the events listed below and complete our questionnaire after viewing the summary of the evidence.

Drop by

People are encouraged to either drop by at an in-person event or email the project team at [email protected] to sign up to an online event.

People will only need to attend one event as the information shared will be the same for each.

Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park is the newest of the three existing National Parks, having its designation confirmed on 17 April 1957.

Eryri (Snowdonia) was the first Nation Park in Wales, designated on 18 October 1951 followed by Pembrokeshire Coast National park on 12 February 1952.

Consultation resources for the new park will all be made available from 7 October here. 

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7 comments

Les Wilkins

A better option instead might be to do something about improving the dire, and deteriorating, state of the landscape, rivers and wildlife in the existing National Parks.

Reply
Robin Huw Crompton

The Clwdian Range needs protecting against inappropriate developments and the unique features of the range such as the line of hillforts need to be better known and protected. As a long term resident of the AONB I fully support its conversion to a National park

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Charles Coombes

Beware of what You wish for!

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Ioan ap Trefor

 Let's hope that any new National Park, and its near neighbourhood, is not swamped in useless erratic Wind Turbines. Here is what we know about Wind Turbines and can be proven and most people ignore :- We know full well that onshore Wind Turbines are only about 25% effective of their boasted capacity (maximum).  We know that offshore Wind Turbines can perform a little bit better but are incredibly more costly.  We know they are all as erratic as the uncontrollable wind.  We know they are ugly in the eyes of most beholders.  We know their construction devastates scenic landscape.  We know they kill birds and protected bats and essential pollinating insects.  We know they require millions of immature trees to be cut down around the UK in forested areas of development sites.  We know they can disintegrate hurling giant heavy fragments dangerously long distances.  We know they can hurl large sharp ice shards after freezing weather thaws. We know they can catch fire that rage out of control.  We know that child labour is used in some countries that supply essential molybdenum for the manufacture of Wind Turbine nacelle generators.  We know they can emit peculiar sounds at different wavelengths.  We know that certain Governments (e.g. Pedw in Wales) have rigged policies to favour planning permission approvals.  We know their construction stage necessitates removal of hedgerows and eco habitats off miles of country minor roads to allow delivery vehicle passage for their towers and particularly their giant blades that must come complete.  We know that in other countries the old blades are proving difficult to recycle making them unsustainable.  We know that most sites are being developed by foreign investors.  We know that many sites are owned by rich landowners.  We know even common land is not protected from them.  We know that Wales UK is being currently targeted for hundreds of giant 820 ft tall turbines above rural communities.  We know these Wind Turbines will necessitate ugly pylon lines to take their erratic power from rural scenic Wales to English cities.  We know most of our Politicians know all this and are ignoring it all with a false obsession of making little Wales the world leader in global renewable energy.  We know the web site GRIDWATCH proves them wrong.  We know many sites destroy peat beds.  We know their construction sites can become sources of flood water run off.  We know Wind Turbines can never power the UK without a very reliable back up system  We know site excavations can become unstable - the latest landslip is shown in film below recently in May 2024 on the wonderful Shetland Isles. Who are 'we'?  We are a small loose minority who are laughed at and called 'deniers' by developers and by our own politicians. Footage shows landslide at Shetland wind farm   CARBON COMPLICITY CARBON COMPLICITY is a topic the Extinction Rebellion and Greens and Carbon Zero advocates, including the Wales Senedd, avoid discussing. Most of the manufactured products we buy in the UK, such as ‘White Goods’ ( large pieces of household equipment (e.g. such as refrigerators; microwaves; cookers and washing machines), now originate from China. The Chinese manufacture these goods using electrical power which is 61% sourced from Coal fired Power Stations. China produces 80% of the world’s solar panels and 90% of UK Solar Panels are sourced from China. The use of forced labour in the solar panel industry, particularly among the Uyghur population in China, has been a growing concern. Reports have linked several solar companies with factories in Xinjiang to forced labour practices, particularly for workers from the Uighur minority.  It’s not just China but it is an easy example to show that we are nearly all complicit in creating Carbon Dioxide round the planet, just as we in Wales are ruining our economy by madly rushing here at home into carbon zero under a delusion that Wales will globally save the planet. The Wind Turbines we are erecting are manufactured overseas and the essential molybdenum in many, use child labour workforces to mine it. Here is one reputable grassroots report on Solar Panels :- https://www.cpreherts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/10/The-Problem-with-Solar-Farms.pdf   POPULATION GROWTH POPULATION GROWTH - again is a topic the Extinction Rebellion and Greens and Carbon Zero advocates, including the Wales Senedd, avoid discussing. Everyone on the planet now wants their share of ‘mod cons’. One major factor in all this, that is not mentioned, is spiralling global population. It is estimated that two thousand years ago the entire global world population was less than 0.2 billion. Just over two hundred years ago it became one billion. Now it is over eight billion - rising by the population of Wales every two weeks. It will in a few years be over ten billion. Let’s repeat that - the global population rises by the population of Wales every two weeks. Yet our own Politicians rushing little Wales into a zero carbon economy say Wales will be a global leader in preventing global climate change. What planet are they on?

Reply
Save our mountains

Totally agree. The enormous turbines proposed across Wales will totally destroy so much land, habitat and wildlife and the current process is causing untold stress to thousands of people. They’re a disaster for the area. Shetland is an absolute eyesore and still has the highest energy prices!

Reply
fred

Thanks for posting this - I will copy and share if thats ok

Reply
Charles Coombes

The National Parks have become Tourist Development Centres and a cost to the environment and residents.

Reply

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Replying to Les Wilkins Cancel

A better option instead might be to do something about improving the dire, and deteriorating, state of the landscape, rivers and wildlife in the existing National Parks.

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