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The Welsh Assembly Government is undertaking a
review of National Parks in Wales. Land Use Consultants in association with
Arwel Jones Associates have been employed to conduct the review and report
to the Welsh Assembly Government.
The scope of the review has been set by the
Assembly in the document Key Issues and Questions for the Review Of National
Parks in Wales 2003. This can be downloaded in Welsh
or English.
Details of the consultation process and
timetable for the review are contained in the document Review of National
Parks in Wales 2003: Consultation process. This can be downloaded in Welsh
or English
Anyone is welcome to contribute to the
review. The closing date for contributions has been extended to
Friday 30th May.
Responses
can be sent electronically to:
welshpn@bristol.landuse.co.uk
or in writing to:
Welsh National Parks Review
Land Use Consultants
14 Great George Street
Bristol BS1 5RH.
James Shorten is the first
point of contact for the review at LUC. His contact details are:
shorten_j@bristol.landuse.co.uk
Tel: 01179 291 997
Building
bridges in the hills of Snowdonia - Review is underway to bring
communities of the national park together
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North
Wales Weekly News,
March 27, 2003: Clare
Garner
FORGING
stronger bonds with local communities is high on the agenda in a review of
the role of National Park Authorities in Wales. Minister for the
environment. Sue Essex, announced the review earlier this month.
Commissioned by the
Assembly, the review is now underway and is being run by Land Use
Consultants, in conjunction with Arwel Jones Associates.
Snowdonia's
residents were pleased to hear the news. George
Wainwright, who runs the Ty'n-y-Coed Hotel in Capel Curig, said that looking
at the issue of the relationship between communities and the park could be
very useful. "There
seems to be quite a divide between the National Park and the community and I
believe this is a fairly commonly held view," he said.
Mr
Wainwright cited the example of the controversial park and ride scheme, part
of the authority's Green Key Initiative. He
said local residents and businesses had not felt adequately consulted on the
issue and that there seemed to be a lack Of communication between the park
and its communities.
Earlier this month
delegates from different voluntary organisations, community councils, the
SNPA, residents and academics discussed the status of communities in
Snowdonia, and ideas for the future at the Snowdonia Society's conference
held in Llanberis.
Marika
Fusser, policy director of they Snowdonia Society, said: "We were very
pleased to see such an enthusiastic discussion between people from all kinds
of backgrounds, and we hope they will go on talking and working together for
the benefit of the communities in the National Park."
Sue
Essex outlined the main aims of the review: "I am keen for the review
to examine how the Park Authorities' role in rural development might be
enhanced. I also want it to look at how the parks can engage more
effectively with the wider public, including ethnic minorities and
disadvantaged groups living inside and outside their immediate
boundaries."
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