Public urged to speak up on future of coastal park

8:05am Wednesday 13th February 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

PEMBROKESHIRE residents are being given a chance to have their say on the future of some of the county's most stunning locations.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority wants to hear people's views on three consultation documents, which will be used to develop plans that will help shape the future of the Park.

A draft management plan proposes to set out management policy in a bid to help the authority safeguard the special qualities of the Park for everyone's enjoyment.

A draft preferred strategy lays out initial proposals for development planning policy in the Park. Following consultation and amendments, the proposals will shape the forthcoming Local Development Plan (LDP) for the National Park area.

Finally, a draft sustainability appraisal assesses the environmental and social impacts of the management and preferred strategy plans.

National Park chairman Simon Hancock said: "These plans will have a critical influence on the National Park in the coming years.

"They will affect key issues in our Park communities, including housing, access to the Park's special places and how we can protect our landscape and wildlife from the potential impacts of climate change.

"So we see it as really important that as many people as possible have their say on the content of these plans.

"We know from previous consultations that people in Pembrokeshire highly value their Park and we hope they will take this opportunity to help shape its future."

There is a separate comments form for each of the three documents, which should be used to submit responses.

Summaries of each of the three document are available on the Park authority's website, www.pcnpa.org.uk. Click on What We Do on the homepage, then Shaping the Future.

You can also view the documents at the authority's headquarters in Llanion Park, Pembroke Dock or at local libaries.

The consultation runs from Monday, February 25th to 5pm on Monday, April 7th.