COUNTRYSIDE campaigners have slammed the Welsh government’s planning system for green projects as unfit for purpose, unveiling a map showing all planning applications for the countryside.

The Welsh Countryside Charity (CPRW) is launching its map showing all such applications in the Welsh countryside at the Royal Welsh Show today.

The planning system, introduced by the Welsh government in 2016, is for large infrastructure projects of national importance, including all ground-based solar and onshore wind developments of more than 10MW capacity. 

The CPRW was established to protect the Welsh countryside and claims the process is not fit for purpose, due to insufficient resources.

The charity has said that Planning Environment Department Wales (PEDW) is overseeing a chaotic and jumbled process that leaves the public confused.

CPRW’s Ross Evans said: “In recent discussions with members of staff they have admitted that they are struggling with the level of applications going through the system.”

The charity unsuccessfully asked PEDW to produce a map of all current applications to show the extent of developments across the Welsh countryside.

It has produced its own map showing all current proposals for onshore wind and ground-based solar.

“What this map illustrates can only be called the industrialisation of our countryside,” Mr Evans said.

“We are supposed to be in a nature emergency, as well as a climate emergency, yet the Welsh government seems happy to ride roughshod over nature in its race to net-zero.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We are working to improve the system and hope to launch an updated version of the portal later this year.”