'A play area for townies': Why opponents say a new National Park in Wales is a bad idea
A leading politician has described plans for a new National Park in North Wales as a 'play area for townies' as opposition grows to the proposals.
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Ten weeks of public consultation on the proposal for the existing Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty have started this month and are running to December 16.
If approved it would cover a huge pear-shaped slab of Wales, running from near Prestatyn, covering from Corwen to Llangollen and Lake Vyrnwy to Meifod and include the Tanat Valley, near Oswestry.
Powys County Councillor Elwyn Vaughan feared that the Budget measures on farm inheritance would mean “new huge estates and mega farms run by faceless organisations and the destruction of rural communities.”
He says a National Park would turn what isn't owned by huge estates and mega farms into a “play area for townies rather than living vibrant communities.”
“It's difficult to see the advantages of a new National Park whilst facing multi-million pound cuts in Powys.
“The existing National Parks already face cuts and financial pressures, it is inevitable therefore that the creation of a extra local authority in essence will draw from the same ever diminishing pot of money and exacerbate the situation.”
Councillor Trevor Bates, who represents Glyn Ceiriog at Wrexham County Borough Council agreed.
