Latest news with #GNPA
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Politics
- Scotsman
How two local pensioners defeated plans for Galloway National Park
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Was it Media House wot won it? Widely recognised as an extraordinarily divided process, the fierce arguments over the creation of a national park in Galloway and Ayrshire are over. Opponents have won the day decisively, and in their struggle to understand how they lost after years of preparation, supporters point to the involvement of a public relations company as the reason for their defeat. Rather than focusing on the substance of the fundamental weaknesses in the case for imposing a new layer of expensive bureaucracy on an area crying out for investment in poor infrastructure to service an economy reliant on mature dairy and forestry sectors and heavy transport, pro-park campaigners have instead sought to blame the messengers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was no surprise when Galloway was selected – ahead of four rival bids from campaigners in Lochaber, Loch Awe, Tay Forest and the Scottish Borders – because there was no organised grassroots opposition and, as well as a third park being a commitment in the Bute House agreement between the Greens and SNP, a park in Galloway was a Conservative manifesto pledge, the local Labour MSP Colin Smyth was fully in favour and the local councils also appeared supportive. Denise Brownlee, left, and Liz Hitschmann set up a campaign to oppose plans for a Galloway National Park, and quickly discovered many other people were concerned too | contributed Shocked by stiff resistance It looked like a slam dunk, and perhaps the Galloway National Park Association (GNPA), Action to Protect Rural Scotland (APRS) and the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) thought so too. However, it was not that simple. The pros and cons of a park in Galloway had never been properly tested locally, and despite years of lobbying, the GNPA, APRS and SCNP seemed shocked when stiff resistance appeared from what looked like nowhere. But the arguments had been thoroughly road-tested elsewhere, particularly by the National Farmers' Union Scotland, and problems in the existing two parks led to protests in Braemar and Lochaber campaigners petitioning the Scottish Parliament for an independent review of Cairngorm and Loch Lomond before a third was designated. The Scottish Government's refusal to do so only fuelled suspicions there was something to hide. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The examination of the five bids, contained in last week's NatureScot report on the Galloway consultation process, is revealing. 'Galloway was clearly the least divided with the conversation much more focused around exploring ideas and opportunities rather than asking questions about what a national park is or the process,' it said. 'This will without a shadow of a doubt be because the GNPA have been promoting their campaign for over seven years now within the local area so a lot more people are aware of what a national park is and what the process is as well.' Hardly convincing This was, to put it mildly, an overstatement because there was little evidence of a proper examination of the issues. 'The four engagement sessions took place in four very different communities, however there was an overall sense… that the creation of a national park within the area is something a majority of the community want to see happen,' it continued. Four low-key 'engagement' sessions producing 'an overall sense' in such a large area was hardly convincing and the selection from applications submitted by activists seemed based on which offered the path of least resistance. Galloway looked like it fitted the bill until Denise Brownlee and Liz Hitschmann, two Gatehouse of Fleet pensioners who decided they were not going to let it become a national park without a fight, got the bit between their teeth. Despite being near neighbours, they were only nodding acquaintances until Galloway's selection brought them together and they launched the No Galloway National Park Facebook page to make their opposition known. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Media House had helped the Lochaber campaigners so knew the background, but by the time we were put in touch with Liz and Denise, the Facebook page was already building momentum. They had a strong brand – a logo professionally produced for free by a sympathetic graphic designer – and banners were already being printed for prominent roadside positions. Amplifying the message As the lead Media House consultant – described as 'slick' by the BBC amongst others – maybe I should just sit back and take the plaudits, but that would be unfair to Liz and Denise's impressive intelligence gathering, their energy in attending public meetings, and the speed with which they approved news releases and kept campaigners informed. They were relentless and all we had to do was amplify their message. Our involvement attracted media attention, with the inference of some mysterious right-wing conspiracy, but oddly that attention did not extend to the other side, who had employed consultants, Scottish Festivals PR, for some time. They also had support from the Unesco Biosphere, South of Scotland Enterprise and the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, and still they failed to convince enough local people to pledge their support in the consultation, defeated by 54 per cent to 42, with the rest undecided. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What was never answered was why an area crawling with government-funded agencies needed another expensive layer of bureaucracy to give it a boost. And the NC 500, rather than the Lake District, showed what happens when a region with poor infrastructure is over-promoted. What now? The NatureScot report recommends strengthening existing arrangements, including more resources for the Biosphere Reserve, a new plan for the Galloway Forest Park, completion of the coastal path as a key visitor attraction, investment in existing community-led projects, and support for the Solway Firth Partnership. So the often bitter debate has not been for nothing.
Daily Record
7 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Decision on whether to designate Galloway as national park set to be announced
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon will make a ministerial statement at Holyrood this afternoon. A decision on whether to designate Galloway as a national park is due to be made today. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon is set to make a ministerial statement at Holyrood this afternoon. Earlier this month, NatureScot presented the findings of its consultation on the issue to Scottish Ministers. Should Ms Gougeon announce there is to be a Galloway National Park – which could also cover parts of Ayrshire – there would then be a further consultation. The issue has proven deeply divisive, with The Galloway National Park Association (GNPA) claiming a national park would bring major investment and international attention to the region. GNPA chairman, Rob Lucas, said: 'Galloway desperately needs a national park to give it the long term certainty and commitment that has been missing for so long. '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. 'This is the forgotten corner of Scotland. We need a national park to put Galloway on the map to attract people to live, work and visit, and help prevent it becoming the dumping ground for inappropriate windfarms and insensitive afforestation.' However, the No Galloway National Park campaign has a string of concerns, including the potential for over tourism, rising house prices and whether existing infrastructure could cope with more visitors. No Galloway National Park founders Liz Hitschmann and Denise Brownlee said: 'Thursday's announcement needs to bring clarity and certainty for the community; our politicians owe us that much after months of confusion and misinformation. 'The No Galloway National Park campaign hopes that the Scottish Government has listened to the community and will deliver.' Dumfries and Galloway councillors are undecided on whether or not to back the idea and NFU Scotland claims three quarters of members are against the idea. Scotland is currently home to two national parks – Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. Director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, Kat Jones, said: 'Scotland, with some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, has only two of the UK's 15 national parks. 'Ministers need to make a decision that will retain Scotland's standing as a country that values and protects its nature and heritage.' Galloway and West Dumfries Tory MSP Finlay Carson believes today's announcement may not be a yes or no for a national park. He said: 'I believe there are few, on any side of the debate, who believe a national park based on the current two would be in any way suitable for Galloway. 'I believe this will sway heavily on the government's mind and, as a result, it will not proceed with a full designation order. 'Rather than dump the whole idea it could be that ministers will look again during the next session of parliament, potentially scaling down the plan and clearly shape it for the unique nature of our landscape and associated land use. 'What has resulted from this whole exercise is bitter division and anger within our communities that will potentially take years to heal. 'Neighbour turning on neighbour, good friends falling out – and above all, the creation of a great mistrust that will take a long time to heal, if ever. 'What should have been an exercise on potentially improving the quality of life in Galloway, creating employment opportunities, boosting the local economy quickly descended into nasty bickering as both camps slugged it out like heavyweight boxers.' No Galloway National Park founders Liz Hitschmann and Denise Brownlee hit out at Mr Carson's comments, and said: 'If recent indications prove correct, most local people who contributed to the consultation are against the park proposal. "Many of their concerns are shared and well founded, based on evidence that national parks are not successfully protecting the natural environment and have an extremely negative impact on local communities. 'The lack of evidence to counter this, indeed the dearth of clear information within the proposal, was a cause of deep frustration which exacerbated the divisive nature of the debate. 'Long term damage to community relations has become a genuine concern, so to have this flippantly dismissed by a Conservative MSP as 'nasty bickering' and likened to a boxing match is not only demeaning, false and unnecessary, it does absolutely nothing to heal rifts.'
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Indian Bank reports 32% growth in Q4 FY25 net profit
CHENNAI: Public sector Indian Bank on Saturday posted 32% growth in net profit at Rs 2,956 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2025 against Rs 2,247 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Its net interest income increased by 6% YoY at Rs 6,389 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2025, which was at Rs 6,015 crore during the year ago quarter. The operating profit rose by 17% YoY to ₹5,019 crore in Q4 FY25 from Rs 4,305 crore in the same quarter last year. The gross advances increased by 10% YoY at Rs 5,88,140 crore during the Jan-Mar quarter of 2024-25, which was at ₹5,33,773 crore during the corresponding quarter previous year. RAM (Retail, agriculture & MSME) advances grew by 13% YoY to Rs 35,0876 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2025 from Rs 30,9918 crore in March 2024. Total deposits increased by 7% YoY and reached ₹7,37,154 crore in the quarter ended March 31, 2025 as against ₹6,88,000 crore of March 2024. Domestic CASA ratio stood at 40.17% as on Mar 31, 2025, while CD ratio stood at 79.79% as on March 31, 2025. GNPA decreased by 86 bps YoY to 3.09% in the quarter ended March 31, 2025 from 3.95% in March 31, 2024. NNPA reduced by 24 bps to 0.19% in the quarter ended March 31, 2025 from 0.43% in March 2024. Slippage ratio was flat at 1.09% Q4 FY25 when compared with the same period of FY24. Fresh slippages in the fourth quarter of FY25 was at Rs 1,393 crore. Briefing reporters here, Indian Bank MD & CEO Binod Kumar said, the bank's business crossed ₹13 lakh crore mark in FY25. "The board has approved to raise infrastructure bond of Rs 5,000 crore for FY26," he added. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
