Community spirit helps protect National Park

28 March 2007

The Council for National Parks (CNP) (1) is delighted with the decision on 26 March by members of the Brecon Beacons Park Authority to refuse changes to the authority’s development plan that would have safeguarded sand and gravel deposits in the National Park.

Members of the National Park Authority voted unanimously to reject the direction from the Welsh Assembly Government to include safeguarded areas which may be used for sand and gravel quarrying in the future on the basis that current national policy does not apply and therefore the direction is ill-founded.

During a public inquiry a report commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government into the nature and quality of these earmarked areas was examined rigorously by an independent Inspector (2) who concluded that there was insufficient detailed evidence in respect of quality to meet the requirement for safeguarding as set out in the Assembly Government’s own planning guidelines (3) and ‘that there is no proof that there are viable reserves existing within the park’.  She also questioned the validity of the Welsh Assembly Government’s policy on safeguarding for the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The Authority’s Unitary Development Plan will now be adopted for development control purposes with the exemption of safeguarded areas which signifies a victory for a partnership of local Community Councils and the national Council for National Parks, which had consistently argued against the inclusion of the policy.

Oriel Price Wales Policy Officer for the Council for National Parks, commented, “CNP strongly supports the National Park Authority’s decision to resist this safeguarding policy.  The Assembly Government’s insistence that such a policy is appropriate in a National Park must be questioned, especially as safeguarding mineral deposits in National Parks in other parts of the UK is unheard of.  In areas where safeguarding is commonplace mineral resources are required to be known in both quantity and quality before safeguarding can commence.  The unproven nature of the resource where these alleged mineral areas fall in the Brecon Beacons means that safeguarding would have been contrary to national policy advice so the decision by the Park Authority members to reject safeguarding is entirely justified.

“In August 2007 consultation on the new Local Development Plan will begin which we hope will take account of the recommendations from the independent Inspector’s Report”.

Notes to editors

1.         The Council for National Parks (CNP) is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales, and those areas that merit National Park status, and to promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all.

2.         The Inspector's Report into the Brecon Beacons National Park Unitary Development Plan was prepared following a public inquiry held between 18 October 2005 and 14 December 2005 and can be viewed on the National Park Authority's website at Brecon UDP Report Covering Letter and Brecon UDP Report

3.         Minerals Planning Policy for Wales, Welsh Assembly Government, December 2000.

Contact:          

Oriel Price, Wales Policy Officer, Tel 01495 724751/07779 718244

Ruth Chambers, Acting Chief Executive & Head of Policy, Tel 020 7924 4077 ext. 222.

For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222