Pushback against North Wales’ Glyndŵr National Park plan

Denbighshire Council held a special meeting to discuss responses to the consultation for the creation of a 230,000-acre national park within the Dee Valley National Landscape and did not support the proposal.

Approval of the consultation response had been recommended by officers, but the final decision on the park’s creation, spearheaded by Natural Resource Wales, would need to be made by the Welsh Government.

The proposed boundaries for the national park include parts of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Powys, and Wrexham.

Denbighshire councillors’ concerns centre on the potential influx of tourists and the lack of infrastructure across the area, as well as tightening planning regulations.

Independent Cllr Hilditch-Roberts said the national park would “handcuff” planning proposals and further reduce the council’s ability to deliver on its housing commitments, adding, “we haven’t met our housing targets as it stands”.

He continued: “Why would we, by bringing potentially 100,000 more visitors into Denbighshire, when our infrastructure is not robust enough to handle it.

“We can’t get our own roads right; we can’t enforce parking across Denbighshire… because we don’t have enough people. We can’t clean our own bins in our towns anymore because of the waste system.

“We shouldn’t put a noose around the neck of 100,000 people… It’s too big a risk for us to endorse as a council going forward.”

The proposed boundaries for the 230,000-acre national park. Credit: via National Resource Wales

Cllr Jon Harland, representing the Wales Green Party, feared the park could create “a millionaires’ playground” around the area, which is already largely designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This could raise house prices beyond the reach of current residents, with the proposed Glyndŵr National Park covering some 46% of Denbighshire Council’s land area.

The infrastructure surrounding the 230,000 acres is already “wholly inadequate”, according to Cllr Harland, who also expressed worry that the park would “stifle green innovation”, noting increased carbon emissions from vehicles.

“This is a very bad idea. I see very few benefits for Denbighshire residents. We should say as a united group that we don’t want it”, Cllr Harland said.

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Proponents of National Resource Wales’ plan hope to secure the long-term resilience of the landscape while stimulating natural recovery.

No proposals for governance of the park have been set out in the plan.

Glyndŵr National Park would be Wales’ fourth national park, and the first created since 1957.

The final response will be presented to Denbighshire Council’s cabinet on 18 November.