3 days ago
Fate of new national park proposals to be revealed
The fate of plans to create Scotland's third national park in Galloway are set to be revealed in a Holyrood statement.
The proposals - which could see the area join the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs - have proved contentious.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon will update MSPs following a consultation carried out by NatureScot.
Supporters and opponents of the plans are waiting to hear if they will move forward, be dropped or deferred until the next parliamentary session.
Scotland currently has two national parks but it is more than 20 years since a new one was created.
A power-sharing deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens in 2021 agreed that "at least one" would be designated by the end of this parliamentary session in 2026.
Although that political agreement collapsed in 2024, the national park process has continued.
Consultation started in 2022 on where the park could be sited and Galloway was announced as the potential location for a new national park in July last year.
Soon after an opposition campaign was launched and an extended consultation was carried out over 14 weeks.
NatureScot has delivered its report on that feedback to the Scottish government which is now to decide the way forward.
The scheme - should it proceed - would mainly be in Dumfries and Galloway but would extend into parts of Ayrshire.
Campaigners in favour of the designation say it could put the region on the map and boost the local economy.
However, opponents have argued it would push up house prices, increase bureaucracy and put transport infrastructure under strain.
Both have been waiting to hear the latest announcement from the Scottish government.
No Galloway National Park campaign co-founder Elizabeth Hitschmann said they could not speculate what would be in the statement.
However, she said the whole idea had been a "complete dog's breakfast from the start" in which a "very small group of unrepresentative activists wrongly claimed there was overwhelming support".
She said people in Galloway had "no faith" in any stage of the process including the selection of the area, consultation and the rejection of calls for a referendum and a review of the existing parks.
Ms Hitschmann added: "The strength of opposition to any form of national park in Galloway is so great that we think it would be madness for any party to impose something that so many people clearly don't want.
"It would certainly be a wise decision to call a halt now before any more time and public money is wasted."
But Rob Lucas, who chairs of the Galloway National Park Association, called for the designation to be given to a "forgotten corner" of Scotland without delay.
"Galloway desperately needs a national park to give it the long-term certainty and commitment that has been missing for so long," he said.
"Our area has a fragile economy and remains among the poorest rural areas in the UK, despite two decades of intensive forestry, farm aggregation and large-scale renewables.
"We need a different approach that works with nature to build a resilient and sustainable future for local people."
That call has been backed by Action to Protect Rural Scotland and the Scottish Campaign for National Parks.
If a designation order was issued that would trigger another round of consultation before the status is confirmed.
The earliest that could happen would be spring 2026.
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