Park strife! Fury over plans for new UK national park as locals call it a ‘crazy’ idea that could see house prices soar by £100k and cause planning chaos for their homes

Residents living in and around a proposed new national park in the heart of Wales have blasted the eco-scheme as a ‘crazy idea’ that will cause planning chaos and drive up house prices. 

Welsh Labour in their ‘Programme for Government’ have pledged to create a new national park in north east Wales, based around the current Clwydian Range and Dee Valley area of outstanding natural beauty. 

The park would cut through sections of Powys, Flintshire, Wrexham and Denbighshire where residents say there is already a large discrepancy between the value of similar sized housing, with research showing it can be up to £100k.

Last year it was revealed that Powys recorded the biggest spike in house prices in the UK with the average property going up 17.4 per cent in value. 

While locals say that creating a new park would see them paralysed by bureaucracy when it came to home improvements and extensions, 

On resident told MailOnline: ‘If they turn it into a national park you won’t be able to do anything. It’s a crazy idea – why does it need to be a national park?’

At picturesque Llangollen, next to the river Dee – a town with a popular canal and a gateway to Wales which attracts thousands of tourists properties inside the area of outstanding natural beauty are already £100,000 more expensive than those outside. 

Research by property firm Purplebricks revealed that a four-bedroom home within the proposed park site at Froncysyllte in Llangollen costs £500k while a four-bed detached property in nearby Wrexham, but outside of the zone, costs just £399k.

Two three-bedroom homes inside the proposed site. in Ruthin and Corwen, are worth £375k and £339k respectively compared to a bigger four-bed home worth just £275k outside of it. 

Resident Pat Convery, 64, told MailOnline the prospect of the park being pushed through fills him with dread. 

He explained: ‘You won’t be able to do anything. There’s enough bureaucracy around planning and you have an area of outstanding natural beauty already.

‘If they turn it into a national park you won’t be able to do anything. It’s a crazy idea – why does it need to be a national park?’

Mr Convery said it would become another ‘costly bureaucracy’ established by the Welsh Government which had spent millions of pounds already on the controversial 20mph default speed limit.

He added: ‘They need to run things more like a private business. There are enough people employed by the state already.’

Kevin Burns, 68, an engineer, said the plans were ‘not a good idea’ and would be ‘too restrictive’ in industrial areas of nearby Flintshire. ‘There’s too much bureaucracy already in Wales,’ he added.

John Simon, 70, a property owner and local, said :’I would get rid of the National Assembly. I have got to the age now where all politicians and all parties I have no regard for any of them because they don’t take account of people’s real requirements.

‘I am so fed up of the whole lot of them. It’s just another gravy train for politicians.’

The Welsh government have argued that the new park would be ‘important for the environment’ and help Wales ‘achieve more sustainable tourism’ – but previously warned of painful budget choices for Wales in the devolution era.

In north west Wales, in the Snowdonia national park, there have been some complaints of ‘over-tourism.’

Mountain paths have been eroded by walkers, there have been issues with rubbish and complaints about selfish parking blocking country roads.

House prices have soared in villages popular with families wanting a beauty-spot holiday home. There are fears it could happen in a new national park, within just an hour of Manchester and Liverpool.

But at his town centre food shop Ross Anderson, 52, said a new national park would be ‘a good thing.’

He said :’We are largely a tourist town. It can only be a good thing for the area. There have been a lot of positive things with the area of outstanding natural beauty, it’s pulled a lot of people in.

‘The last twelve months have been the busiest we have ever had.’

Customer Sharon Gunning, 56, visiting family from Spain, said :’It would be a shame if it became too expensive for local people. It’s a beautiful area.’

It is expected that the proposals and boundary of the park will be confirmed this year ahead of possible implementation by 2026, the Powys County Times reported.

Local Plaid Cymru Councillor Elwyn Vaughan has opposed the plan at every turn and warned that should it go through it could cost local people £4m a year and raise house prices by 25 per cent making things ‘even worse’ for young people.

Cllr Vaughan told a Powys County Council meeting last month: ‘The existence of a national park status makes no difference to biodiversity.

‘What it will do is cost about £4 million a year at a time when Powys needs to save £40 million over the next three year.’

He added: ‘Setting up a new authority is not sustainable when we are likely to see other authorities go into the wall.’

Commenting on the Welsh government’s plans, Purplebricks chief sales officer Jonny Magill told MailOnline that any new national park could see some teething problems. 

He explained: ‘I can see how the introduction of the proposed Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Park will lead to an increase in house prices in this area. 

‘It could ensure more control to limit new housing developments, due to restrictions in areas of natural beauty- therefore, reducing the amount of homes available in these sought-after postcodes. 

‘The associated lifestyle and beauty are certainly at a premium.

‘National parks have notably contributed to a positive effect on house prices, creating an increased demand for properties. This trend is evident even in locations like Nottingham, where I am from. 

‘Sherwood Forest, a renowned national park, has become a focal point enhancing the desirability of the surrounding properties. Interestingly, this surge in demand not only impacts traditional home sales but also translates into a higher demand for rental properties, Airbnb’s etc.

‘As Wales continues to enhance its appeal for both residents and visitors, the establishment of this national park seems poised to exert a positive influence on property prices. This optimism persists even in the face of potential increases in council tax for investors.’