New National Park could hit £2m development plans

If a new national park for Wales is given the go ahead, development plans for housing and economic growth in Powys worth £2 million would become “redundant”, a senior councillor has warned.

At a meeting of Powys Country Council’s Cabinet, councillors were presented with the draft LDP (Local Development Plan) annual monitoring report (AMR) for 2023/2024.

The report, which is the fifth one, is a legal requirement and looks at how well the LDP is working to accomplish its goal of guiding development in Powys from 2011 to 2026

Due to the LDP failing to live up to expectations, work has already started on the process of producing the next version.

Planning portfolio holder, Liberal Democrat Cllr Jake Berriman, explained that producing a new LDP is a £1 million “exercise” for the council.

Cllr Berriman added that producing a separate Strategic Development Plan for Mid Wales will also cost the council “broadly” £1 million.

Producing these plans are legal requirements, asked for by the Welsh Government.

Cllr Berriman said: “Both of these plans will be rendered redundant and in need of replacement if a new National Park is decided by the Welsh Government.”

He believes there is a need of a “joined up sensible conversation” with Welsh Government on this issue and other matters of regulation and oversight of council services.

The monitoring report explains than the LDP target is to have 4,500 new homes developed over the 15-year period from 2011 to 2026. This equates to 300 a year.

With two years of the LDP left to run, the report shows that 3,073 new houses have been built.

Planning professional leader, Peter Morris, explained that during the last year a total of 264 new homes were built, and of these, 97 were affordable homes.

The affordable home 15-year target is 952 and the report explains that 929 of these were “delivered” by the end of last March.

Mr Morris said: “The good news is that the affordable housing target looks like it will be achieved, it’s creeping ever closer to the 952.

“I expect that to be exceeded by the end of the next monitoring period (this year 2024/2025).”

But he pointed out that to hit the 4,500 target, 1,427 more houses would need to be built by 2026.

“It’s unlikely we’ll achieve that in the next two years,” said Mr Morris.

Councillors approved the monitoring report which will be sent to the Welsh Government and published on the council’s website.

Welsh Government environment body, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is currently holding a consultation on proposals for a new national park in north east Wales based on the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Parts of Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham councils as well as Powys would be in the park.

Wales currently has three national parks - Eryri (Snowdonia), Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and the Pembrokeshire Coast.

If approved, a vast swathe of Powys including the Tanat Valley, Llanfyllin, Lake Vyrnwy, and Meifod would become part of the fourth national park in Wales.

The idea has been heavily criticised by local politicians who believe it will take away funding from Powys council and changes to planning regulations could hinder farming diversification proposals.

There is also a belief that more tourists would put pressure on local infrastructure such as health and transport.

The national park consultation is set to run until December 10.