The Farmers' Union of Wales has strongly opposed plans by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) to extend the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and will continue to lobby the case at a special meeting with representatives of the council in Llangollen on March 28.
At this meeting CCW will decide whether or not to send its proposals to the Welsh Assembly Government for the final decision and FUW Denbighshire and Flintshire counties executive officer Marian Jones and the union's Denbighshire branch president Glyn Jones will deliver a presentation on their objections.
In its response to CCW's draft designation order consultation the union objected to the plans, fearing that sustainable development, both on-farm and within rural communities, will be stifled by further planning controls applied to designated areas.
Given the number of existing designations in the area, the union strongly believes that any further designation would only serve to increase the bureaucracy and red tape endured by farmers.
Mr Jones said: "It has long been recognised that farming has helped to create and maintain the landscape in this area of Wales and it is the farming systems employed by generations of farmers which have created these cherished landscapes that attract numerous visitors to the area every year.
"Rather than considering further designation, we believe that more effort should be made to encourage a partnership approach to conservation through positive policies, such as agri-environment schemes, encouraging diversification and working with rural people."
The union's response also highlighted concerns that the stricter planning controls would adversely impact on the family farms within the area.
"Succession is an on-going concern within the farming industry with a lack of young people willing to take on the management of farms. Stricter planning controls within the AONB will only compound these problems," added Mr Jones.