New North Wales national park heads to inquiry

After receiving either outright objections or concerns from all five local authorities that would ultimately host Glyndŵr National Park, the Welsh Government has decided to bring in Planning and Environment Decision Wales to evaluate the proposals.

Glyndŵr National Park’s creation would deliver on a Labour Party 2021 campaign promise for a fourth national park in the country, joining the likes of Eryi (Snowdonia), Brecon Beacons, and Pembrokeshire Coast.

If created, Glyndŵr would stretch across 230,000 acres in Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Powys, and Wrexham counties.

While the government has lauded the park’s potential to protect biodiversity, drive sustainable tourism, and bolster economies; the local authorities have raised qualms over the project citing a likely increase on existing pressures around delivering council services and the area’s infrastructure.

Wrexham County Council Cllr Trevor Bates even went as far as to describe the park as “a £4m ego project,” referencing the approximate amount each of the three existing national park authorities in Wales receive in grants.

In a letter announcing the inquiry, Wales deputy first minister Huw Irranca-Davies , stated that the case for Glyndŵr from Natural Resources Wales was a comprehensive one. He pointed out that the current national parks bring in around 12m visitors each year and contribute £1bn annually to the Welsh economy.

He did acknowledge the concerns of the local authorities though.

“It is a big change – deliberately so, as it is designed to have a significant positive impact on our natural environment and people’s ability to enjoy it,” Irranca-Davies wrote. “Consequently, it is right that these issues are considered very carefully.”

Details regarding the start of the public inquiry and its length will be released in due course, with Irranca-Davies instructing PEDW to “identity an appropriate person with the expertise and capacity to run that inquiry”.