Concerns about losing money made from planning application fees form part of Powys County Council’s objections during a consultation to setting up a new national park in Northeast Wales.

Last year the Welsh Government asked Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to investigate setting up a national park based around the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Parts of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham county and Powys would be in the park.

The consultation is the second phase in the process.

In December last year Powys councillors voted to oppose the national park’s creation which would a see huge swathe of the county, including Llanfyllin, Meifod and Lake Vyrnwy be part of it.

A consultation response by Powys planning leader Peter Morris stresses the implications the national park would have on the council’s planning department which is currently in the process of producing a new Local Development Plan.

Mr Morris said: “Clarity over future responsibilities and statutory duties in the delivery of planning services is essential should designation proceed.

“Powys already includes a large area of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park and a small area of Eryri National Park.”

Mr Morris believed that the national park designation would “restrict” the types of development such as mineral extraction or large scale renewable energy projects.

Mr Morris said: “The loss of planning application fees, including pre-application fees, to the local authority would also be unacceptable.”

Mr Morris adds that the area of Powys under consideration is “improved farmland or planted forestry”.

Mr Morris said: “It is not clear which aspects of natural beauty are being used as a basis for identifying this area.”

Cabinet member for planning Cllr Jake Berriman has already joined the chorus of Powys politicians who are set against the national park, and has posted his own consultation submission on social media.

Cllr Berriman believes that the legal process to designate a national park is in itself “limited, flawed and anachronistic”.

“A national park is seen by the majority of those that live and work here, as a barrier to new flexible approaches that support local initiatives and indigenous growth,” he said.

“A new park is seen as a luxury that can be ill-afforded with a loss of planning income and an additional precept falling on Powys council.

“I would caution against progressing a national park designation that crosses the administrative boundary into Powys, as it will, I am sure, be contested at every stage.”

But there are many supporters of the new national park proposal.

Led by Campaign for National Parks (CNP) a joint statement has been signed by 18 organisations including the Alliance for Welsh Designated Landscapes, RSPB Cymru, WWF and National Trust, supporting the proposal.

Senior CNP policy officer Gareth Ludkin, said: “We welcome proposals and believe this is a once in a generation opportunity for Wales to create a truly exemplar national park that leads the way for the rest of the UK.”

The 10 week consultation ends on Monday, 16 December.