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Proposed Glyndwr National Park

Is this devolved to Wales?

Where is this happening?

What's happening?

Why is this happening?

Who has been affected?

What's happening?

Why is this happening?

Who has been affected?

Charts (if needed)

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£ ~12 million Cost of establishing the park

up to 6 million annual running costs

Who has raised this at the Senedd?

Llŷr Gruffydd MS

Rural Resilience & Sustainability Minister

Dr Dafydd Trystan MS

Government Effectiveness Minister

Elwyn Vaughan MS

Chair: Economy & Energy

Adrian Mason MS

Shadow Counsel General

Iain McIntosh MS

Shadow Government Efficiency Minister

Andrew Griffin MS

Chair: Public Accounts

Vikki Howells MS

Senedd Commissioner

Huw Thomas MS

Backbencher

Darren Millar MS

Conservative Group Leader

Llŷr Gruffydd MS

Rural Resilience & Sustainability Minister

Dr Dafydd Trystan MS

Government Effectiveness Minister

Elwyn Vaughan MS

Chair: Economy & Energy

Adrian Mason MS

Shadow Counsel General

Iain McIntosh MS

Shadow Government Efficiency Minister

Andrew Griffin MS

Chair: Public Accounts

Vikki Howells MS

Senedd Commissioner

Huw Thomas MS

Backbencher

Darren Millar MS

Conservative Group Leader

What are the party positions on this?

Plaid Cymru backbenchers have opposed the national park plans based on the negative impact on the rural communities that lie within the proposed boundaries.

This is the reality of what a new national park would mean: joining together the area from Llangadfan in Powys to Prestatyn....Increasing house prices 25% above the average....making the situation even worse for our young people. Increasing transport pressures as a result of the enchanting make-believe image of national parks....while doing nothing to improve biodiversity, according to recent studies, compared to areas outside of the park, while costing approximately £6 million per annum, at a time when existing parks have faced funding cuts of 41%, and are under huge pressure, and while our rural services also face constant cuts.

Reform MSs welcomed the Welsh Government’s decision to drop plans for a new national park, largely on cost grounds.

I applaud (the Welsh Government's) recognition that there remain too many unanswered questions to confirm the designation Order or to conduct a public inquiry at the moment....Numerous opposition points have been raised by stakeholders. Denbighshire has maintained its objection. Flintshire has raised concerns surrounding costs, duplication of planning, amongst others. These concerns matter because this isn't simply about drawing a line on a map, is it? People live within these lines.

At £11.6 million, just to establish another national park authority, before we even consider the ongoing costs, we have to question whether that's the best use of public money. Nobody's suggesting we shouldn't protect our countryside, but, surely, we should make better use of the arrangements we already have, rather than creating another layer of bureaucracy.

If this does ever proceed, obviously, as was alluded to earlier, it's going to cost £11.6 million just to establish it, plus further ongoing costs, despite objections from every single one of the other affected local authorities. So, I'd like to know, really: how much taxpayers' money has already been spent pursuing this proposal? Also, will you now commit to rejecting it permanently, please, rather than leaving the door open to yet another expensive layer of bureaucracy that local communities neither need nor want?

Labour MSs have expressed disappointment at the decision to drop the park plans and have questioned the Welsh Government’s commitment to biodiversity and the environment.

In Government, Welsh Labour cherished and protected our natural environment and we recognised the huge potential of a new national park....It was a firm manifesto commitment from us. We launched that public inquiry to take the final steps towards establishing Glyndŵr, which would be Wales's first new national park in almost 70 years.

The Campaign for National Parks has said that to not go ahead with a public inquiry, as the Cabinet Minister has laid out, would be a bitterly disappointing retreat from this Government, especially from one that has supposedly committed to the protection and restoration of nature-rich landscapes.

We know what the RSPB have said about Wales being one of the most nature-deprived countries in the western world, and we heard earlier, even from the Reform Member, about the importance of tourism to our economy. So, why take this decision? There is no mention of doing this in your manifesto. I don't wish to downplay the real concerns that exist around these proposals, but the place to explore them, surely, is through a public inquiry.

The Conservatives support the idea of a national park in principle, but believe the plans put forward by Natural Resources Wales were over-reaching.

I have always believed that, had a national park been able to be established, it should have been established along the borders of the existing area of outstanding natural beauty in the Clwydian range and the Dee valley. Nor was I supportive of the establishment of a new national park authority, because we all know the democratic deficit that exists in national park authorities....That is something that I would hope the Government could reflect on for other national parks in Wales, and whether there may be an opportunity to undertake a piece of work on reform for national parks.

Green MSs haven’t said anything on this specifically.

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Jane Dodds hasn’t said anything on this specifically.

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Who is responsible?

Llŷr Gruffydd MS

Rural Resilience & Sustainability Minister

What have ministers said?

Following careful consideration of the designation Order, the evidence assembled by Natural Resources Wales, the representations and objections received during the designation process, and the associated impact assessments....I am currently minded not to confirm the designation Order, and consequently minded not to proceed with a public local inquiry at this stage. Not confirming the designation Order and not proceeding with a public local inquiry will mean that no new national park is established at this time.

As I have already noted, all five local authorities in the area objected to the designation. While I have carefully considered all representations received, I do recognise the importance of understanding the views of these local authorities, which already play a role in delivering many of the outcomes that are sought through designation and which would be important partners should a national park ultimately be established.

What's being done about this?

What do the Welsh Government want to do?

Does this need a new law or regulations?

How long will this take?

What do the Welsh Government want to do?

Does this need a new law or regulations?

How long will this take?

What have the Senedd's Committees said?

Nothing has been discussed yet.

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