Council agrees to Support in principle, nomination of a new National Park in Galloway.

The Scottish Government has invited nominations for areas to be designated as a new national park from communities and community groups. Members of the Council’s Economy and Resources Committee (30 Jan) have agreed to support in principle, the proposed nomination being developed by the Galloway National Park Association (the Association) for a National Park in Galloway.

The Scottish Government has stated its commitment to the designation of at least one new National Park during the lifetime of the current Scottish Parliament. It is nearly 20 years since Scotland’s first two National Parks were created. Before more are designated, Scottish Ministers are reviewing the role of new national parks and their role in addressing the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. The Scottish Government’s draft biodiversity strategy sets out their ambition for Scotland to be Nature Positive by 2030, and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. New national parks are expected to play a significant role in supporting this ambition.

The Galloway National Park Association formed in 2016 to promote a new national park focused on the benefits of park status. Our Council was approached by the Association in 2018 and committee agreed to re-affirm the Council’s support to the principle of establishing a Galloway National Park. The Association has continued to campaign and have been developing their submission seeking designation of such.

The Association recognise that matters related to the legislative framework for a new national park are not yet determined by Scottish Government and appreciate that with the Council agreeing to support the nomination, that this is in principle only.

The Association have contacted all three local authorities in the area that could be included in the new national park: Dumfries and Galloway Council and South and East Ayrshire Councils. The Association has asked that each local authority consider their support for the nomination being submitted, ahead of the deadline of 29 February 2024, to enable them to reflect the current position in their nomination submission.

Chair of Economy and Resources, Councillor Ian Carruthers said: “Galloway is a spectacular part of our region with landscape ranging from hills to sea, which we share with visitors who get to experience the beauty of our area for themselves. Having been described as ‘Scotland in miniature’ our Council recognises that there is a lot of interest and support for a formally designated Galloway National Park. I am pleased that we have agreed to support the next steps and look forward to seeing the outcome.”

Vice Chair, Councillor David Inglis said: “Dumfries and Galloway is such a beautiful part of the country and having part of this area designated as a National Park would create many benefits, including helping us address climate change, which is included in our Council Priorities. There is also the cultural heritage, with evidence of many phases of human history in our area. Anything which can promote tourism and boost our local economy is welcomed, and a National Park would go a long way to achieving this.”

ENDS