The Value of New National Parks in Wales

Report highlights

Economy

The new National Park will bring significant benefit to the local economy.

• In the 2024/2025 financial year, the existing three National Park Authorities (NPAs) in Wales received £10.48m in core grant funding from Welsh Government which represents just over £3 per person in Wales. On top of this they receive £2.9m in additional Welsh Government grants and £3.5m in local authority levies. Studies suggest that this could generate a seven-fold return on investment. For example, York University produced a study in 2018 which estimated that for every £1 invested, the North York Moors National Park generates approximately £7.21 of health and well-being benefits for volunteers and visitors.
• Economic spending from tourism also has a notable impact on the local economy. 12 million visitors each year spend an estimated £1bn on goods and services in Welsh National Parks and promotion of the area could also mean an increase in all-year-round destination tourism.
• In pursuing their statutory purposes, NPAs have a duty to improve the economic and social well-being of local communities living in a National Park and this can manifest itself in a number of different ways. For example the NPA may be able to apply for and distribute funding pots, coordinate regional schemes or support projects which develop sustainable rural economies, community cohesion and businesses which are able to multiply their effects.
• Having a National Park also opens up opportunities for the NPA to have a stake in developing economic strategies which benefit local business and enterprise in the area.
• National Parks provide a range of added value benefits for local businesses who might be able to benefit from the international recognition of their area in the marketing and promotion of products or services. Designation can also draw in a diversity of new businesses that are not limited by geography but are inspired by the landscape or the communities within the Park. 
• Farms and food producers can also benefit from the unique marketing opportunities, cooperatives like Our Food 1200 promote the role that producers in National Parks have in developing sustainable food, local economic activity and food security in our National Parks.
• With increased economic activity within the National Park there will spillover effects for areas surrounding the National Park. A so called ‘Halo effect’ can result in the tourism and recreational sector benefiting from visitors staying beyond the boundaries of the National Park itself where they may be more or different choices. 
• Other value added benefits from National Parks exist in the environmental value of the land in National Parks that can sequester carbon through peat and woodland. The Valuing National Parks in Wales report valued these at around £24.4m and £97.2m respectively, whilst the economic activity and jobs associated with protection of the environment supported 10,738 jobs directly within the National Park boundaries at the time of the report.

Environment

A new National Park will protect and enhance nature.

• Wales is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world with declining species, threatened habitats and the effects of flooding, fires and drought being felt across rural and urban communities. National Parks, which cover approximately 15% of land in Wales, hold some of the most valuable natural resources, priority habitats and critically endangered species in Wales.
• Designated for their special qualities, natural beauty and opportunities for the conservation of wildlife, National Parks have the highest level of landscape conservation and protection.
• Without this level of protection and recognition, these landscapes would be in a much worse state than they are today, and establishing new National Park areas affords new parts of Wales the chance to benefit from coordinated action and increased resources.
• The upland landscapes commonly contained in National Parks can protect water resources and mitigate flooding downstream by trapping more water on the land through wetland and peatland restoration, strategic tree planting schemes and river catchment management plans.
• The Valuing Wales’ National Parks report highlights the economic value of protecting the environment and the complementary relationship between conservation and economic wellbeing: “the quality of the environment is a source of competitive advantage to Wales.” It goes on to determine the value of sequestering carbon to the Welsh economy, estimating that: “the value of carbon sequestered through peat and woodland within the National Parks is […] between £24.4m and £97.2m.”
• Wales’ three National Parks contain 40% of the total peatland present in Wales. Collectively they have the potential to hold 29,431,000 tonnes of carbon content – the equivalent of three times Wales’ total CO2 annual emissions – but in 2019 the Welsh Government estimated that over 70% of Welsh peatlands were degraded. The new National Park would increase the total area of peatland covered by National Parks.
• The proposed area of search offers huge potential for protecting a wide variety of biodiversity, creating specific species recovery plans and restoring habitats to encourage the return of lost species. The Gronant Dunes in the north of the area of search includes rare plants such as sea holly, sea spurge and pyramidal orchid. It is also home to one of Britain’s most productive little tern colonies, comprising more than 6% of the British population.
• In the Berwyn Range and around Lake Vyrnwy pine martins, Pied Flycatchers, Wood Warblers and Redstarts live. A number of protection sites also exist for Curlew across the area, whilst native red grouse are also an important species which need enhanced protection.

Visitors and recreation

A new National Park will help manage visitors and boost overall health and wellbeing.

• The creation of a new National Park Authority (NPA) with resources will be key in managing everyone’s ability to access the countryside whilst ensuring that this is managed as effectively as possible.  
• Natural Resources Wales’ Forces for Change report acknowledges that National Park designation could introduce new pressures and challenges for the area, however, many of these impacts are already evident in the area, and an increased concentration of resources in the area could help alleviate visitor challenges in under pressure areas, making sure that popular sites are resilient for the future.
• National Parks have previously been described as ‘Wellbeing Factories’, providing access to open spaces and a wide range of activities beneficial to our health and mental wellbeing.
• The benefit of having an NPA is that resources can be made available to engage with the minority of visitors that don’t engage with the Countryside Code through education, signposting and staffing of key sites.
• Some beauty spots within the current area of search and existing National Landscape (such as Moel Famau and Horseshoe Pass) already experience high levels of traffic and parking stress. And whilst the existing National Landscape Partnership Board is able to coordinate resources in collaboration with the appropriate Local Authority, budgets for National Landscapes are much lower than NPAs. Designating the area as a National Park will instead bring new strategic opportunities and boosted levels of resources to help manage such impacts through improved infrastructure.  
• In new areas which are not currently designated, an NPA could help manage activities which damage the landscape (such as off-road motorbiking) through engagement, advice and evidence gathering. An NPA could also work with landowners and strategic partners to repair rights of way or make them more accessible for socially excluded groups who may not have previously felt welcomed.  
• NPA work in the area encourages visitors’ respect for the environment as well as local communities. A Recreation Strategy has been successfully implemented in Eryri National Park which has led to specific plans for honeypot sites such as Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). A plan for tackling visitor pressures on Wales’s highest peak resulted in enhanced visitor communications, a high frequency bus network, a park and ride service and stronger parking restrictions. 
• An NPA is able to work in partnership with local communities and stakeholders to address concerns and influence strategic improvements to visitor infrastructure.

Farming

New opportunities for farming businesses in National Parks.

• Thriving farming businesses are vital for the health of National Parks. They have played an integral role in shaping the Welsh landscape and the special qualities of National Parks for many generations.
• National Parks in Wales are working landscapes and that’s why National Park Authorities (NPA) have a corresponding social and economic duty to: ‘seek to further the social and economic wellbeing of the local communities within the National Park in pursuit of their statutory purposes’. This can present a range of opportunities and benefits for farmers, from marketing opportunities to farm diversification and opportunities to access new sources of funding. 
• It will be a vital function of any newly established NPA that they seek to provide additional support to land managers within their boundary so that they can meet the purposes of the National Park whilst also maintaining thriving local communities and businesses.
• National Parks can reconcile farming objectives through accessing and setting up additional funds to help rural businesses thrive.  
• Whether that be through Government-backed funding pots, private green finance, lottery grants or the work of Tirweddau Cymru or National Park Partnerships LLP, National Parks can create human and financial resources for farmers to access, breaking down some of the workload farmers deal with when applying for the complex maze of grants and agri-environment schemes.
• NPAs have a proven record of administering government-funded schemes and bringing stakeholders together on a landscape scale.
• The development of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) potentially provides new opportunities for farmers within National Parks to access support and funding for multi-year projects through collaborative and optional layers.
• National Park Authority staff also play an important role in ensuring that recreation activities are well managed and do not impinge on land management priorities.
• The international recognition of an area can also bring financial benefits through the promotion and recognition of farmed products and local produce within a National Park.
• Farm diversification is also a benefit for those located within a National Park and willing to take advantage of an increased visitor base. Farming businesses can take advantage of new interest in the area by selling produce directly to visitors in farm shops or cafés, setting up glamping and campsites, offering self-catering, bed and breakfast accommodation or other amenity services. 
• National Park Authorities take a proactive approach to planning applications, often working with land managers and farmers to ensure that proposed developments are in keeping with the Park and its purposes. The Valuing National Wales’ National Park report recognises that planning applications are approved at the same rate as those outside. Planning protections in National Parks can sometimes result in some limitations on farm developments but such protections help to maintain the high quality environment that attracts visitors to the area, and so helps support a thriving local economy.

Housing

The new National Park will protect homes for local communities.

• Research into the impact of designation of the two Scottish National Parks found that while there was a small increase in house prices compared to other attractive rural areas immediately after their establishment, this was only short-lived, and over the first 10 years after designation, house prices in National Parks actually increased by slightly less than those in attractive rural areas elsewhere (11% compared to 13%). This suggests that factors other than National Park designation are having a bigger impact on house prices.
• Countryside homes with beautiful views already attract a price premium whether or not they are in National Parks. Increased opportunities for remote and flexible working, retirees moving out of urban areas and the desire for second homes all contribute to the demand for housing in rural areas. These factors will be having an impact in this area even before it is designated as a National Park, particularly as much of it is already designated as a National Landscape.  
• The high-quality environment in the area makes it a desirable location for people seeking second homes and the number of second homes registered in Denbighshire increased by over 70% between 2017-18 and 2021-22. While there are high levels of second homes in many parts of the Welsh National Parks, this issue is not exclusive to these areas, with some of the highest levels of second home ownership in communities within National Landscapes, such as Aberdaron in the Llŷn National Landscape. 
• The creation of a single planning authority in the form of a National Park Authority will ensure that a more strategic approach can be taken to delivering the housing that is really needed in the area, ensuring that local people have priority when new housing is built.

Planning

National Park designation will bring new opportunities for planning in the area .

• Both National Parks and National Landscapes benefit from the highest status of protection in planning terms and development proposals in these areas must be carefully assessed to ensure that they are not damaging the special qualities for which the area is designated.
• Special considerations also apply to major development proposals such as wind farms, mines and road infrastructure projects which are only allowed in these areas in exceptional circumstances.   
• While much of the area proposed for designation is already a National Landscape and thus benefits from these additional protections, becoming a National Park will provide new opportunities for planning which are not available to National Landscapes.
• One of the most important differences is the creation of a National Park Authority as the single local planning authority responsible for both plan-making and planning decisions across the whole of the area. As National Park Authority boards include a mix of nationally and locally appointed members, those responsible for making planning decisions in the area will be able to take account of both the local and national needs and ambitions for the National Park, thus delivering many benefits for nature, people and climate.  
• National Park Authorities also use their planning powers to influence travel patterns and the opportunities for delivering new housing in their area. They do not, however, have direct responsibility for building houses or planning and delivering transport within their areas.
• As the local economy in many National Parks relies heavily on tourism and many visitors are specifically attracted to these areas by the natural beauty of the landscape, the planning system plays a vital role in enabling appropriate development and preventing damaging development. These are living, working landscapes and the additional planning protections they are afforded ensure that the benefits these areas provide are not compromised by insensitive change or developments which undermine their special qualities.
• There is no evidence that this additional protection has acted as a barrier to economic growth in these areas.