Concerns over proposed overhaul of Welsh planning system - Wales Online

Concerns over proposed overhaul of Welsh planning system - Wales Online:



The Welsh Government has been frustrated by the reluctance of the local politicians to accept the training provided, it has been thwarted time and again in its attempts to bring forward more development and at the same time has had to intervene when local politicians have been trying to override local and national policy, the growth in agricultural workers dwellings in some counties being a case in point. How can you have unbiased planning policy and decisions when the farming community appears to dominate the planning committees?



In one case a planner was told he would get the sack if he didn't do what was asked of him, another was told "you like your job don't you?" by another committee member.



The planning system is bust, we can't carry on like this.



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BBC News - House builders blame red tape for 12% drop in Wales during 2013

BBC News - House builders blame red tape for 12% drop in Wales during 2013: "Responding to the latest drop in housing registrations in Wales, Glyn Mabey, the regional chairman for Persimmon in Wales, blamed planning rules and the costs of regulation.

"What the fall in new registrations does highlight is the huge problem of getting planning applications approved in a timely manner and then excessive pre-start conditions which are delaying the physical build work actually commencing on site," he told BBC Wales.

The company is increasing the number of houses it is building this year, but he said it had to overcome the "hindrance of a negative planning system" that didn't encourage growth or help create jobs."



A devolution dividend?



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Wales' national park authorities must be merged into one, says Dafydd Elis Thomas - Wales Online

Wales' national park authorities must be merged into one, says Dafydd Elis Thomas - Wales Online:



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Dafydd, I think you have far more support than you might believe for a further reduction in the number of local authorities than the Report recommends. I also believe that NRW should take on the job of managing our landscape whether it is a Welsh National Park, an AONB or any other part of our beautiful country, the imaginary NP boundaries that suffocate communities need to be redrawn because the land is privately owned and the state should not interfere more than is necessary in the national interest, our nation, Wales.

BBC News - Snowdonia National Park's new chief warns of job cuts

BBC News - Snowdonia National Park's new chief warns of job cuts: "The chair of the park authority, Caerwyn Roberts, said: "These are challenging times for Wales' national parks and Emyr Williams's strong leadership will be a valuable asset to us as the authority faces the tough challenges ahead.""

The biggest challenge is abolition and they can't do anything about that now, they can only blame themselves.


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BBC News - Freak storm destroys trees at Llanbedr, Gwynedd

BBC News - Freak storm destroys trees at Llanbedr, Gwynedd:

God moves in mysterious ways.

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BBC News - National parks visitors spend £1bn according to report

BBC News - National parks visitors spend £1bn according to report: "However, he added: "People come to the national parks because of the landscape and the people who live there - they don't come because of the national park authorities."

The Authorities do nothing for the communities as far as social and economic wellbeing is concerned, the fact that people visit and spend in these areas is not directly attributable to the existence of a layer of local government, however the effect of a restrictive planning regime costs the regions many more £millions in lost business opportunities, Llanbedr airfield being a case in point!

Simon Hart is a breath of fresh air with regard to the elitist concept of national parks where the less affluent cannot afford to visit and the residents suffer from what international human rights observers describe as ‘soft eviction’ and ‘voluntary resettlement’, the problem with Wales is that well over 50% of the land area is a protected landscape, this is unsustainable and of no economic benefit to the indigenous population.

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Fear for future of tourist information centres as visitor numbers fall by 7,000 - North Wales Weekly News

Fear for future of tourist information centres as visitor numbers fall by 7,000 - North Wales Weekly News: " Although the future of the visitor centres had not yet reached the “critical point”, Mr Williams said their future was just one aspect that the SNPA was looking at in the way it assessed its effectiveness."

The whole concept of national parks needs to be revisited, can we Welsh afford them?

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