Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 22 July 2024
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its previous commitment to establish at least one new national park before the end of the current parliamentary session, and the reporter process to do so reportedly needing to be started in summer 2024 in order to be able to deliver any new national parks within this timeframe, when it will make the decision on which region or regions to take forward into the reporter process; when the reporter process will start, and how it will inform the Parliament of any decisions in order for any new national parks to be delivered before May 2026.
In October 2023, communities were invited to explore and develop proposals for their local area to be considered for designation as Scotland’s next National Park. The nomination phase closed on 29 February and nominations were received from Galloway, Lochaber, Scottish Borders, Tay Forest and Loch Awe.
The appraisal process considered all nominations against six published criteria. Introduction - New National Parks: nominations guidance and appraisal framework - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . These were:
? outstanding national importance
? size, character and coherence
? meeting the special needs of the area
? strategic contribution
? visitor management and tourism
? local support
The appraisal process concluded in May and the appraisal panel’s report has been published on our website: National Parks - Landscape and outdoor access - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot )
Following the conclusion of the appraisal process, I am pleased to inform Parliament ahead of a public announcement that will take place later today that we are proposing to move to the next stage in the process to establish a new National Park in Galloway.
The nomination from the Galloway National Park Association and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO biosphere highlights the area’s outstanding natural and cultural heritage and it sets out the potential benefits that designation could make to the environment, the economy and to local communities. The proposal also provides evidence of support for a new National Park from local communities, stakeholders and businesses. The report of the new National Parks appraisal panel concluded that the nomination from Galloway meets all of the published criteria.
The proposal for a new National Park in Galloway has been laid in Parliament this morning and it will be published on the Scottish Government website.
On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to offer our thanks for the considerable time, effort and commitment that all the nominating groups and members of these local communities have invested in exploring and developing their nominations.
The next stage in the process will begin with a ‘Reporter Phase’ in which communities will be asked if they want a National Park in the Galloway area. A ‘Reporter’ – in this case NatureScot – will now lead further work on the Galloway proposal, including extensive consultation and engagement with local residents, communities, community councils, local authorities, businesses, relevant public bodies and interest groups. This will include engagement and consultation with the agriculture, forestry and other land-based sectors given their importance within the area. The Reporter’s work will investigate, develop and test the National Park proposal in light of local views and circumstances, taking into account all views expressed during the consultation.
The Reporter is required to provide its findings to the Scottish Government on the proposal by 28 April 2025 and the report will be laid in Parliament. If we decide to proceed with the National Park proposal – with or without modification - secondary legislation will need to be developed, consulted on and approved by Parliament in order to designate a new National Park in Galloway.