It’s a no to the national park

DISAPPOINTMENT and relief greeted yesterday’s decision to scrap plans for a national park in Galloway.

Scottish Ministers have decided not to press ahead with the scheme due to a lack of support locally.

Announcing it, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, above, said: “While there is substantial support for a National Park and what it could deliver for the southwest of Scotland, there is also significant opposition.

“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.

“The consultation raised some really important issues that local people care deeply about and we now have the opportunity to look at how we can address these.”

Following her statement, reaction instantly flooded in with No Galloway National Park campaign co-founder Liz Hitschmann saying: “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.

“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.”

Dumfries and Galloway MP John Cooper is also pleased local opinion has been heeded and said: “Too often on things such as windfarms, we see local opposition bulldozed aside.

“The consultation on a Galloway National Park was deeply flawed – it was always far too vague.”

However, others feel let-down, with David Hope-Jones, the chief executive of The South of Scotland Destination Alliance, saying: “We are sorry that the Scottish Government has decided to reject the proposal. We feel this is a missed opportunity to attract sustained investment in visitor management, visitor experience and visitor infrastructure.”

Agreeing, Kat Jones, from Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said: “The news that Galloway is no longer under consideration to be Scotland’s next National Park should send a chill down the spine of everyone campaigning to make the world a better place. That a policy so popular with the public, and a designation with so much promise for the region, has been dropped is a tragedy.

“This decision will impact Scotland’s standing as a country that values and protects its nature.

“This decision is a betrayal of the Galloway people who have worked tirelessly for seven years to bring well deserved, national recognition for the special landscapes of their area.”

Pic- Alan Peebles