A 10-week public consultation on proposals for a new national park on the northern edge of Powys is set to begin.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) announced that the consultation will run from October 7 to December 16, 2024.

The Welsh Government has tasked NRW with assessing the evidence and case for a new national park and making a recommendation.

A study area, referred to as the 'Area of Search', was identified as Dee Valley ‘National Landscape’ and shared during a public engagement period in late 2023.

Following this, and a period of evidence gathering, NRW will now be consulting the public on the emerging proposal throughout the autumn and winter months.

The public consultation events will be an opportunity to learn more about the project and evidence gathered to date, ask questions of the team, and share feedback on the draft boundary map referred to as the Candidate Area Map.

Ash Pearce, programme manager in NRW’s designated landscapes programme team, said: "While we have a statutory procedure to follow, we want to ensure that this is an inclusive process and that people have the opportunity to share their views on the proposals.

"Early engagement has given us a much clearer picture of the issues, hopes, and concerns of the local people and stakeholders.

"We have identified 11 themes that underline both risks and opportunities for the area.

"These reflect concerns about over-tourism and the impact on housing, but also the hopes for better management, responsible access, conservation, and nature’s recovery.

"If a new national park is established, then it must be able to manage the risks and take advantage of the opportunities available, for the betterment of nature, people, and communities.

"We have amended the study area in response to local feedback and in the past year, appointed three separate independent consultants to help us develop the evidence that will inform our recommendation.

"As a result of this work, we now have a candidate area map that we want to share with the public.

"We encourage anyone interested, to attend one of the events listed below and complete our questionnaire after viewing the summary of the evidence."

People are encouraged to either drop by at an in-person event or email the project team at designated.landscapes.programme@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk to sign up for an online event.

People will only need to attend one event as the information shared will be the same for each.

The public drop-in events will be held at various locations including Parkfields Community Centre, Mold on October 10, Ceiriog Centre, Llangollen on October 16, and Llanrhaeadr Village Hall, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant on October 21.

Other venues include Loggerheads Country Park, Mold on October 26, Wrexham Memorial Hall, Wrexham on November 8, Public Institute Committee, Llanfyllin on November 16, Kings Hall Community Centre, Prestatyn on November 30, Cowshacc Centre, Welshpool on December 3, Canolfan Ni, Corwen on December 4, and Llangollen Town Hall, Llangollen on December 10.

Public online events will be held on Microsoft Teams on October 14, November 12, and December 12.

Targeted group events will also be held for elected members, recreation and access groups, environment and heritage groups, the renewable energy sector, the agricultural sector and landowners, utilities, and businesses and tourism.

To find out more visit the project website.

All consultation resources will be available via the project website from October 7, 2024.