Deputy Presiding Officer, nothing could be further from the truth. Over the course of the last 50 years, the Valleys’ landscapes have undergone a remarkable transformation, probably more than we have witnessed anywhere else in Wales, the UK or beyond. The challenge for us today, in twenty-first century Wales and in twenty-first century post-industrial Valleys communities, is how we make the most of our landscapes and our heritage, reconnecting us with our environment and our history. How can we use these rich landscapes to help address existing issues in our communities, including some of the deep-seated health and socioeconomic problems and to address some new and emerging challenges, such as the creation of a prosperous and resilient, inclusive economy to improve the well-being of communities and reduce the environmental threats associated with climate change, water management and biodiversity?

Since the ministerial taskforce for the south Wales Valleys was set up, we have worked closely with people living and working in the Valleys to find out what they want for their communities and what they value about where they live. Our conversations revealed a strong feeling that the Valleys’ natural and cultural heritage should provide the backdrop to a new future for the Valleys. The taskforce has spent much of the last year developing an exciting, dynamic approach that will co-ordinate, drive and promote activities related to the environment, the people and the economy of the Valleys.

This was originally captured in the concept of a landscape park, but the range of opportunities we now have available to us is much broader, hence the focus on a wider Valleys regional park. Our aim is to put the Valleys in the vanguard globally, with a national and international profile that will serve the needs of future generations. Based on previous experience, emerging and existing best-practice research and extensive engagement, the Valleys regional park will have three interlinked delivery themes: landscape, culture and identity; recreation and well-being; and communities and enterprise.

We will build on what we already have in terms of our assets, delivering ambitious plans that will connect the Valleys with high-quality walking trails and cycle routes. We will develop a highly visible, high-quality network of uplands, woodlands, nature reserves and country parks, rivers, reservoirs and canals, heritage sites and attractions, crucially connected with our towns and villages. And we will invest in and develop existing sites across the Valleys as gateways to better tell the stories of the Valleys. These will encourage people to discover our towns and villages and encourage wider exploration of what the Valleys have to offer.

Deputy Presiding Officer, Members will be aware that earlier this month the Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced £7 million of capital funding over two years to establish the Valleys regional park in the draft budget. This funding will be used to develop the park, including investing in the gateways. We will work closely with local authorities and other partners in the Valleys as we progress the regional park. I intend to announce the location of the gateways by the end of this year and deliver phase 1 by spring 2019.

The park should and must support outdoor activities in the Valleys, not only for leisure and tourism, but to help address the increasing issues we face with respect to physical and mental health and well-being. We will build on the inspiring, innovative projects and initiatives already being undertaken and developed by communities across the Valleys, involving more communities and creating a peer-to-peer, skill-sharing network.

Today I have published a prospectus for the Valleys regional park as a guide to our intention and to outline our vision, but it is also an invitation for everybody in the Valleys and beyond to be a part of this initiative. The prospectus builds on experience over the past 20 years and more. It reflects worldwide best practice and it is a statement of ambition about what we believe we can achieve.

Deputy Presiding Officer, the Valleys regional park is not and will not be a one-off project or initiative. It is at the very heart of our ambition to enable our communities across the valleys of south Wales to maximise the opportunities afforded by our natural and cultural heritage to deliver significant social, economic and environmental benefits today and into the future. Thank you.