New National Park consultation confirmed

A 10-week public consultation period on proposals for a new National Park in Wales will run between October 7 and December 16, 2024, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) announced today (Monday).

Welsh Government has commissioned NRW to assess the evidence and case for a new National Park, which would have Llanfyllin as its southern gateway, and make a recommendation.

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

Following this, and a period of evidence gathering, NRW will now be consulting the public on the emerging proposal throughout the autumn and winter months.

The public consultation events, including Welshpool, Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr, will be an opportunity 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.

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.” 

People are encouraged to either drop by at an in-person event or email the project team at designated.landscapes.programme@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk 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.

Public drop-in events 

Public online events 

Targeted group events 

To find out more visit the project website. All consultation resources will be available via the project website from October 7, 2024.