Time is running out to have your say on National Park for North Wales plans

There is less than one month left for members of the public to have their say on plans to create a new National Park in North Wales.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) was commissioned by the Welsh Government to evaluate the case for a new National Park based on the existing Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

If the plans go ahead it will be the first National Park established in Wales since 1957.

An initial study area map (referred to as the Area of Search) was identified and shared during a public engagement period in 2023.

Following this, and a period of evidence gathering, NRW is now running a public consultation giving people a second opportunity to respond to the emerging proposal.

The public consultation period has been running since Monday 7 October and will end on Monday 16 December 2024.

A questionnaire is live on the project website and a series of drop-in and public online events have been arranged in and around the area under assessment.

The events are an opportunity to learn more about the project and evidence gathered to date, ask questions of the team and share feedback on the Candidate Area Map.

People are encouraged to attend a drop-in event or sign up to an online event, and submit a questionnaire with their feedback.

Ash Pearce, Programme Manager in NRW’s Designated Landscapes Programme team said: “We are currently consulting on an amended Candidate area map for a proposed National Park, along with supporting evidence.

“Following feedback in 2023 and again this year, we are very aware that there are a range of views on the proposal.

“A new National Park could provide an additional mechanism for addressing some of the key challenges of our time, from restoring nature and biodiversity, to strengthening resilience to climate change, and helping eleviate physical and mental health issues through exercise and exposure to nature whilst also helping sustain agricultural viability and sustainable communities.

“But there are also concerns regarding how it might affect local communities, particularly if the balance between conservation and enhancement versus visitor pressures is not managed effectively.

“National Parks need to be adequately funded and well governed to achieve their potential. Appropriate arrangements in this respect is an underpinning assumption of NRW’s assessment and we will be seeking further clarification on this prior to finalising our recommendations.

“To realise the benefits and avoid unintended consequences, we need to get the potential area for a National park right, and also ensure that we have a full picture of the evidence and views that exist. That’s why we are consulting again on the amended map and new evidence reports.

“I strongly urge everyone who cares about these issues to respond to the consultation which closes on the 16th of December. We will carefully consider all feedback, and this will help inform our next steps.”

Plans to create a new National Park in North Wales have received a mixed response with concerns raised around the eventual maintenance of any future national park.

In October 2024 Plaid Cymru’s Member of the Senedd for the region Llyr Gruffydd MS said that “unanswered questions” remain about the plans.

He noted that whilst Plaid Cymru does not object to the concept of national parks nor to the proposal for a new park in the North-east of Wales in principle but wants serious discussion around the impact the designation could have on communities above anything else.

You can take part in the public consultation on plans to create a new National Park in North Wales here.

A public session will  also take place on Microsoft Teams between 6pm and 7:30pm on Microsoft Teams. To sign up to an online event email your interest to the project team at [email protected]