A bid to create Scotland’s newest national park in Galloway is facing opposition from local residents after three quarters of those surveyed said they were against the plan. Galloway has been selected from a list of five other regions to potentially become the country’s third national park. However, a survey, which was sent to residents and businesses living within the proposed boundary, found 73 per cent voted against the proposed national park bid, 16 per cent were for the proposal and 11 per cent remained undecided.
The National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) said only 28 per cent of the 1,983 respondents were members of the union, and 33 per cent identified themselves as farmers. Looking exclusively at NFUS members, 556 members responded, of which 78 per cent were against the proposals, 10 per cent were for the plan and 12 per cent were undecided. The union said the results from the survey, which ran between February and September this year, gives NFUS “a clear mandate to continue its opposition to the proposals.
” An official government consultation on the move is due to begin in November. NFU Scotland’s chairman of Dumfries and Galloway Region, Stewart Wyllie said: “With almost 2,000 responses, the majority are clearly against the National Park proposals. The high response rate justified our decision to open the survey to all rather than just NFUS members.
“NFU Scotland continues to meet with NatureScot to establish how it will fulfil its remit as reporter and ensure the views of all are considered.” The results come after landowner membership organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) said it will not be supporting the creation of the national park after it completed its own questionnaire about the move. Of the SLE members surveyed within the proposed park boundaries, 91 per cent were opposed to the plans.
Among members in the wider south-west “ripple area,” around the proposed boundaries, opposition stood at 67 per cent. SLE said the park proposals fail to explain the “tangible benefits” it would bring to the region, businesses and communities. The membership organisation said while it was not opposed to national parks in principle, there had not been a clear explanation as to why the “added bureaucracy and apparently unbudgeted funding of a national park was the only means through which progress could be made on issues such as growing the economy and tackling the climate emergency.
” Members of Dumfries and Galloway-based campaign group Hands Off Our Hills, however have spoken in favour of the area winning national park status. Co-founder Donna Stewart said the designation would “put Galloway on the map.” Speaking to Galloway News, Ms Stewart described the region as “the armpit of Scotland”, and if the bid was rejected, “that would be us forgotten about forever.
” She said national park status would “increase tourism and a better chance of there being more year-round jobs.” Member David Spruce said while the group does not want to see anyone disadvantaged by potential regulation, he said the area, including Newton Stewart where HOOH is based, needs more income. “Newton Stewart needs injection of employment and tourism, but we wouldn’t want to see anyone disadvantaged from it,” he said.
To date, there has been no official democratic survey on whether people living in the area are opposed to the proposed national park or not. First Minister John Swinney was challenged in Parliament last week after appearing to “stop short” of guaranteeing that if local people reject the national park plans, they would be dropped. NatureScot said from November, there will be a formal 12-week public consultation examining people’s views and arrangements for the proposed national park, including the area it will cover and how it is governed.
.
