Latest news with #NoGallowayNationalPark
Daily Record
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Galloway National Park opponents and supporters react to Scottish Government scrapping plans
Opponents say they are 'very relieved' the bid won't move forward but supporters say it is a 'big loss'. Opponents and supporters of a Galloway National Park have given their reaction to the Scottish Government's announcement that the proposal has been scrapped. The No Galloway National Park say they are 'very relieved' that the bid won't move forward. But the Galloway National Park Association have described the move as a 'big loss'. Rural Affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon announced on Thursday the idea was being binned. She said 54 per cent of people who responded to the NatureScot consultation opposed a national park and 42 per cent were in favour, with the majority of those responding from Galloway and Ayrshire. No Galloway National Park co-founder Liz Hitschmann said: 'We are very relieved the Scottish Government has recognised the strength of opposition to the imposition of a national park on our region, but the overwhelming response from local people directly affected was impossible to ignore. 'We are so grateful to all those who have supported our campaign, which from a standing start less than a year ago has steadily built momentum as people understood what a national park could really mean. 'There is no question Dumfries and Galloway needs investment in our infrastructure, but it did not need millions frittered away on another layer of bureaucracy which could override local wishes, and the many government-funded organisations in the area need to deliver that investment.' Campaign co-founder, Denise Brownlee, added: 'The Cabinet Secretary has promised a real plan for investment building on those existing structures and everyone in Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire needs to hold her to that.' Rob Lucas, the chairman of the Galloway National Park Association, was disappointed at the move. He said: 'This is a big loss for our countryside and wildlife, for everyone living in the region and for our entire country. 'Our disappointment is not just for the loss of a National Park, but for the whole future of Galloway which has been badly let down once again. 'Galloway and its fragile environment, communities, and economy face huge challenges that must be overcome. 'After years of neglect and decline it must now fall to those who opposed a National Park to address these issues and to do so without the certainty and money the Park would have brought. 'Although the minister has decided not to proceed, it is clear that the spotlight has rightly been shone on Galloway which is clearly on the map for now at least. 'We hope that any new measures put forward, although no substitute for a national park, will enable Galloway to come together and collectively develop a brighter future for this very special area.' The Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership had worked on the submission that Galloway should be home to Scotland's third national park. Vice chair of the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, Patrick Wiggins, said: 'The last few months have seen passionate arguments both in favour of and against the creation of a new national park for Scotland. 'Our position has always been that any future national park should embrace the ethos of our UNESCO Biosphere by reflecting the voice and the views of local people, so whilst disappointed with the outcome we are pleased that NatureScot's recommendation does exactly this. We were satisfied with the public consultation process which was accessible, thorough and transparent. 'Importantly from our perspective, the report offers encouragement as we look ahead to the future activity of the GSA Biosphere Partnership. We are pleased to have the vocal support of Scottish Ministers and recognition of our potential to attract investment, develop environmental protections, and help build sustainable communities in Scotland's south west.'
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Scottish Government abandons plans to create national park in Galloway
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon made the announcement at the Scottish Parliament this afternoon. The Scottish Government has abandoned plans for a Galloway national park. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon made the announcement at the Scottish Parliament this afternoon. The move comes following a public consultation into the divisive issue held by NatureScot. Ms Gougeon told Holyrood: 'Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation and consultation, the reporter has advised that, whilst it considers that the proposed area meets the conditions for a national park set out in the legislation, the proposal does not have sufficient clarity, nor has it garnered sufficient local support to proceed to the next stage of designation. 'I want to put on record my thanks to everyone who has been involved in this process. We have listened to the people of Galloway and Ayrshire. 'We have noted the views expressed by communities, organisations and businesses. We have carefully considered the advice and recommendations of the reporter. 'We have weighed up the arguments for and against the creation of a new National Park in the area, taking full account of the potential economic, social and environmental factors, and we have come to the conclusion not to proceed with the designation of a National Park in Galloway and Ayrshire.' The consultation report revealed 54 per cent of people who responded opposed a national park and 42 per cent were in favour, with the majority of those responding from Galloway and Ayrshire. The issue has proven extremely divisive and controversial. The Galloway National Park Association claimed a national park would bring major investment and international attention to the region. However, the No Galloway National Park campaign had a string of concerns, including the potential for over tourism, rising house prices and whether existing infrastructure could cope with more visitors. Dumfries and Galloway councillors were undecided on whether or not to back the idea and NFU Scotland claimed three quarters of members are against the idea. Ms Gougeon added: 'I realise that this decision will be very disappointing for those who have been campaigning for a new National Park in Galloway over many years. "I also recognise the huge amount of work and time that has been invested by a great many people throughout this process. I would like to thank everyone involved in that process, including members of the Galloway National Park Association and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere. 'The Galloway and Ayrshire proposal has generated a lot of debate about the role and value of national parks in Scotland more generally. "Again, I am grateful to all those who have put forward their views and perspectives on this during the consultation process and this government has listened carefully to all views expressed. 'We fully recognise and appreciate that the consultation period has been a challenging time for local communities. It has also raised some really important issues that people in Galloway and Ayrshire care deeply about – from roads, affordable housing and health services to business investment, environmental protection and opportunities for young people. "What is important going forward is that we take note of the issues, concerns and opportunities that have been raised during the consultation process and that we place a renewed focus on delivering for the people of south west Scotland.'
Daily Record
3 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.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Galloway chosen as preferred site of next national park Extension sought for national park report delivery
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
The SNP has a park problem. Both Flamingoland and Galloway
The Scottish Government is looking like a flamingo with its ostrichy head in the sand when it comes to issues that involve National Parks – whether they're on the banks of Loch Lomond, or potentially in the rolling hills of Galloway. Those blushing feathers of panic tell us that the SNP don't really know what to do over nature, or indeed the increasingly thorny issue of National Parks. Last week, following the news that the Scottish Government's Reporter had announced intention to approve the planning application for Flamingo Land's Lomond Banks development, the SNP knocked back demands that Scottish Ministers call the decision in. Public finance minister Ivan McKee said: 'Given the very technical planning issues raised in this case and the high level of public interest, I consider it appropriate that objective planning judgement is applied in this case, and for that reason I do not intend to recall this appeal.' But the pressure to call the decision in on a development that was only last year rejected by Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority after eight years of controversy is still growing. And behind that call are over 40,000 signatures on a petition by the Scottish Greens which says, "Tell Scottish Ministers to Save Loch Lomond". Then, in other news, this week, reports emerged that Mairi Gougeon is set to make an announcement on Thursday regarding the Galloway National Park proposal for a third National Park following a recent consultation. A Scottish Greens press release said: 'On Thursday, the SNP's Rural Affairs minister is expected to scrap plans to establish a National Park in Galloway, a core commitment of the Bute House Agreement. Land-owning lobbyists have demanded investment in the area without any protections of the local environment.' A movement against the Galloway National Park proposal has grown rapidly and vocally since last summer – much to the surprise of those who originally drove the bid and believed it to be widely supported – and by now it feels like the loudest voice. I've spoken to people on both sides, and both speak passionately, though often it seems the pro-parkers are quieter. I'm reluctant, as some have done, to caricature the No campaign as driven chiefly by lobbyists or those with business interests. People like Denise Brownlee and Liz Hitschmann, grandmothers, neighbours and founders of the No Galloway National Park, are genuine and heartfelt. But there are also the National Farmers Union of Scotland, landowners and foresters, a high-profile PR firm and some vocal MSPs which make it seem more like an interests campaign. Those that argue against the National Park, often come from different angles, sometimes contradictory – fearful of 'overtourism', fighting off bureaucracy, defending the renewables industry - as happens with any anti campaign. It includes farmers fearful of red tape, renewables industry, foresters of conifer plantations. Meanwhile some support a 'park-lite' plan. Versions of this – a possible smaller plan including the geographical areas most in favour of the park and most standing to benefit - were suggested to me by locals when I visited the area this year. But my fear is that for some park-lite may mean ditching nature, and those elements that give it extra protections. It may mean saying that a National Park isn't about biodiversity - though it is about, according to its principles - conserving natural and cultural heritage. That concerns me because, like many, I take seriously the biodiversity crisis - especially given what Professor Johan Rockstrom, the scientist behind the planetary boundary frameworks told me of how his biggest concern is what is happening with nature. Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell has stood up for the Galloway National Park proposal, saying : 'I hope the SNP ignore a small number of voices who want to stop any kind of change, anywhere. A Galloway National Park would have a positive impact for nature and communities and would be managed and controlled by local people themselves. 'Scottish communities were competing against each other last year to secure a new National Park, it would be an embarrassment if SNP Ministers now blocked every community in Scotland from hosting a new park.' But this wasn't always just about the Scottish Greens. Both the SNP and the Conservatives advocated for another park, and the Tories even, in their manifesto, called specifically for a park in Dumfries and Galloway. Part of the problem, I suspect, resides in the confusion around what National Parks are really for, in spite of there being an act which defined them as, in part, about conserving "natural and cultural heritage" - and which of different principles should carry more weight. Does, for instance, a Lomond Banks resort containing monorail, water park, hotel and restaurants, represent conserving the natural heritage? Certainly, the board of the LLTNPA appeared to think it wasn't an adequate response to a nature crisis, which is one of the reasons the application was rejected last September. (Image: NQ Archive) Campaigner Nick Kempe, in a detailed piece of analysis in his Parkswatch Scotland blog, has pointed out that the Reporter's recent announcement is no big surprise, since the arguments pitched against by LLTNPA were not that strong. 'Under pressure from the public and from their Board," Kempe wrote, "some of whom want to be seen to be doing something to tackle the nature crisis, LLTNPA senior management had little choice but to recommend rejection of Flamingo Land's application last September. The grounds they provided for doing so, however, were very weak.' This he notes, paved the way for the Reporter overturning the rejection. On Lomond Banks nothing is yet set in stone. There is still the possibility of Ministers calling it in, and even of a judicial review. There is also, crucially, time. The Reporter, after all, has given Flamingo Land and the LLTNPA six months to come up with a legally binding 'planning obligation that secures the employment issues and environment issues that are set out in the Lomond Promise'. The fight is certainly not over. This Friday will see an emergency meeting of Balloch and Haldane Community Council 'to discuss the next steps in fighting this ludicrous development'. READ MORE: At the same time, the Galloway National Park raises its own questions about what a National Park means for nature, given is potential siting in an area of high agriculture productivity, dairy farming and wind farm density. It could, of course, mean striving harder to make that work alongside nature protection – but we may never know how that looks if the plan is dropped. What's often confusing in the middle of all this, whether Galloway or Loch Lomond, is working out who really is advocating for nature? And on what grounds? Who is doing the deep thinking about what works for both biodiversity and community? No Galloway National Park campaigner Denise Brownlee, for instance, describes herself as a 'tree-hugging, lentil-munching veggie" and says she doesn't want all those tourists partly because of some of the damage they do to nature. But Rob Lucas, chairman of the Galloway National Park Association is also a long-term nature lover, and has spoken about how 'National Parks can support communities and nature for the long-run'. 'This is the forgotten corner of Scotland,' he has said. '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.' There are no easy answers and no doubt the SNP Government would like all this to disappear. But with Reform UK already picking up votes in Dumfries & Galloway in last year's general election, and the incumbent Conservatives strong in the area, it's unlikely the words 'National Park' will vanish from the debate, even if the plan is shelved till after the election.
