Welsh government does not want new northern national park, minister says

ByDavid DeansWales political reporterPublished11 minutes agoPlans for a new national park in north Wales are likely to be shelved after a government minister told the Senedd he did not want to set it up.

Constitutional Minister Dafydd Trystan Davies said the Welsh government could achieve its environmental objectives without the cost of establishing the proposed Glyndwr National Park.

But he said he wanted to hear views of others over a four-week period before making a final decision, and noted the plan had been opposed by all councils in the areas the park would stretch across.

If created the national park would cover the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley and would be the first new national park in Wales since 1957.

Davies said he did not want to confirm the order that would be required to set the national park up, and therefore would not proceed with the public local inquiry promised by the previous Welsh Labour government.

The minister said it would have cost more than £11m to create the park.

National Parks in the UK aim to conserve the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area they cover, and promote their sustainable use.

Three exist in Wales, each administered by their own park authority that also oversees planning for its areas.

Davies made the decision as the park would have been in the Senedd constituency of Rural Resilience Minister Llyr Gruffydd, who had also publicly opposed the park.

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