It was announced in Parliament by Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands that the Scottish Government has decided not to proceed with the designation of a new national park in south west Scotland.
As part of a 14 week consultation process carried out by NatureScot, over 5,000 surveys were completed and more than 1,000 people attended events that were held across Galloway and South and East Ayrshire.
54%
of responses overall opposed the proposal
42%
of responses supported the proposal
57%
of local responses alone opposed the proposal
40%
of local responses alone supported it
The report notes that support was greatest among environment, recreation and tourism sectors, whilst landowners, land managers and those working in the farming, forestry and renewable energy sectors had the strongest reservations.
The minister said that the consultation had raised important issues that local people care deeply about and that they now have the opportunity to look at how to address these.
She added that the Scottish Government remained committed to the existing national parks and could consider creating others in future.
Based on the evidence gathered during the investigation and the findings of the public consultation, the Reporter’s advice is that the proposal does not have sufficient clarity, nor has it garnered sufficient local support to proceed to the next stage of designation.
As I am sure you will agree, there are very strong foundations to build upon, with strong regional partnerships and structures already in place. In addition to the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere, there is the regional land use partnership and framework, the Natural Capital Innovation Zone and the responsible tourism strategy, all of which are supported by the region’s economic partnership and South of Scotland Enterprise.
