National Parks at risk

Urgent action required!

A year ago we wrote about the risk of National Parks in Wales being undermined by Welsh Government.

With the as yet unpublished report ‘Future Landscapes; Delivering for Wales’ due to be debated in the Assembly this Tuesday 28th March it is clear that our fears were well-founded.  : see this statement from the Alliance for National Parks Cymru.   Alliance response to Future Landscapes Wales report final 

Please contact your AM, immediately, and ask them to attend the debate tomorrow:
–  Urge them to stand up for National Parks in Wales and ensure they continue to be protected to international standards
– Ask them to insist that full public consultation takes place.

Contact information (excel)

The Future Landscapes report is badly written, muddled, incoherent and self-contradictory.  Despite this there can be little doubt of the intent behind it.  It dresses up as ‘a new contemporary account’ a narrow and old-fashioned view of our most treasured national assets – our protected landscapes.  It peddles old myths about  National Parks impeding development.  The truth is that National Park Authorities pass just as many planning applications as any local authority.  The subtle difference is that, in principle and also largely in practice, they refuse inappropriate planning applications.  That is the point of planning powers in National Parks and that is why some want to open up National Parks as part of a ‘race to the bottom’.

Assembly Members – contact information here 2016-2021 AM Contacts & Constituencies  – will want to attend the debate on Tuesday and demonstrate their understanding of how much Wales needs its National Parks.  AMs will know how important to the people of Wales are our National Parks  – Pembrokeshire Coast, Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia.  They will have no doubt that we want them to continue with proper protections for landscape, natural beauty and wildlife conservation.

Most of all Assembly Members will understand the importance right now of upholding their international status as flagships for Wales, as internationally recognised Protected Landscapes – a global brand which means something,  rather than a hollow badge and a name-plate.  We urge them to insist on full public consultation on any proposed legislation affecting the purposes of National Parks.

Thank you.

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