The final report of the Independent Panel on the Review of Designated Landscapes in Wales has been published today (29 October 2015). We’re pleased to see that the recommendations support many of the points we made in our evidence to the review, in particular that National Park Authorities (NPAs) should retain their full planning responsibilities and that there is no need for direct elections to NPAs.
It’s also good to see recognition of the role of initiatives such as our Mosaic project in widening representation on NPA Boards.
The report draws on an extensive evidence gathering exercise by the Panel. We submitted written evidence in May and also had an opportunity to give oral evidence in June.
The final report is very wide-ranging and includes a total of 69 recommendations and the Welsh Government has said that further work is needed to examine them in more detail. They have set up a Future Landscapes Working Group to be led by Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas (Plaid Cymru AM) to explore the recommendations and report in 2016. The group will involve representatives of the National Parks, AONBs, interest groups, business, and local government.
You can find out more about the review and read the full report here.