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Local Authorities and Sustainable Peatland Management: Current Opportunities and Future Possibilities for Local Approaches
Area Statements
Area Statements are a strategic planning tool developed by NRW as part of the system of governance for the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR) introduced by the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. Their purpose is to identify priorities, risks and opportunities for SMNR and to set out actions to address them, not just by NRW but other public bodies in Wales, including local authorities. During the passage of the legislation the Minister made it clear that the aim of Area Statements was to “...inform wider public service delivery and the democratic governance at a local level”. Area Statements cover wide regional areas and may cross local authority boundaries but are also created with local authority and natural boundaries in mind (see Figure 12).
Figure 12 Map of Area Statements and Local Authority Boundaries.
As noted above, local planning authorities must have regard to Area Statements when creating Local Development Plans and these are a material consideration in any land use planning decision. Currently, published information on Area Statements does not always refer to peat, but evidence on peatlands will feed into evidence gathering for these statements. In future, peatland habitats could provide an important exemplar for the way in which Area Statements can support SMNR and resilient ecological networks across Wales.
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