The review of designated landscapes in Wales

Professor Terry Marsden is currently chairing an independent review to ensure that Wales' designated landscapes are equipped to meet current and future challenges.

On the 29 September 2014 Carl Sargeant, Minister for Natural Resources commissioned an Independent Panel to conduct a review of designated landscapes in Wales.

The review started at the end of 2014 and will carry on through 2015. The review will be in two stages. In conducting its work, and in reporting its recommendation, it will be particularly important to gather a variety of types of evidence from both stakeholders and members of the public.

The Panel, chaired by Professor Terry Marsden of the Sustainable Places Research Institute, with John Lloyd Jones and Dr Ruth Williams as members are planning, from the outset, a set of evidence gathering activities involving written submissions, face-to-face meetings, public workshops and the gathering of evidence.

The first stage of the review addressed two areas

1. the purposes of designated landscapes.
2. the merits of classifying Wales' designated landscapes under one type of designation.

Stage 2 will now consider the governance arrangements of designated landscapes. It will review governance and management arrangements, and consider the recommendations of the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery as part of this. It will take account of the Planning (Wales) Bill in respect of the future arrangements for planning in National Parks. The panel will report before the summer (2015).