Wales round-up: National parks interim report, climate change failure

Report spurns single designation system for national parks and AONBs

The interim report of the independent panel set up to advise the Welsh Government on designated landscapes - national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) - has come down firmly against a move to a single designation.

The Planner

Consents and planning applications for national energy infrastructure projects

The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change has confirmed that UK ministers have received the report of the conjoined public inquiry into proposals for five wind farms and an overhead connection line in Powys, mid-Wales, but no decision will be made until after the general election. The planning Inquiry was the longest and biggest ever held in Wales.

UK Government

Notice of Amendments (pdf)

The Welsh Government has tabled an amendment for its Planning (Wales) Bill that would require that women would make up at least 40 per cent of the membership of the proposed new strategic planning panels.

National Assembly for Wales

Statutory climate change targets to form part of Environment Bill

Planning and natural resources minister Carl Sargeant has announced that the Welsh Government will be including statutory climate change targets for Wales as part of its forthcoming Environment Bill.

Welsh Government

Wales climate change failure

Wales has failed in its climate change targets, says a report from poverty charity Oxfam.

Wales Online

Cardiff student flats green-lit

The go-ahead has been given for 671 student flats at the site of Cardiff Metropolitan University's former Art and Design campus in Adamstown.

Wales Online

Plans to turn Tenby's St Catherine’s Island into tourist attraction ‘lack clarity’ says council

Revised proposals to turn an iconic Tenby landmark into a tourist attraction are likely to be refused by the town council.

Wales Online

31 per cent increase in new house building in Wales, welcomed by minister

Housing minister Lesley Griffiths has welcomed figures that show a significant 31 per cent increase in the number of new houses started in Wales.

Welsh Government 

£5m A40 link road given the go-ahead in Carmarthenshire

A £5 million link road that will connect to the A40 in Carmarthenshire has been given the go-ahead and will be paid for by the council.

BBC News 

Bridgend land availability study (pdf)

The latest Bridgend County Borough Council joint housing land availability study – for 2014 - has just been published.

Bridgend County Borough Council

Publication of planning prospectus documents

The administration has published a suite of documents that give an overview of the relationship between the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Bill, the Planning (Wales) Bill and the planning system in general.

Welsh Government

Cardiff council ignores the public, the city's civic society claims

Cardiff council is “too close to developers” and ignores the public, says the city's civic society in its comments on the city’s local development plan.

Wales Online

Flooding on 1,700 Bodelwyddan village homes site claim

Campaigners opposing a housing development that will treble the size of the Denbighshire village of Bodelwyddan say evidence of flooding has been ignored.

BBC News