Consultation on Galloway National Park plan begins
Both sides are urging people to attend.
Plans for a new National Park in Galloway hang in the balance as the public consultation begins tomorrow.
The debate continues over the proposed Galloway National Park plans as a 14-week consultation begins on Thursday, the 7th of November.
Both sides are urging people to attend one of the 16 meetings across the region to let their opinions be heard.
During the public consultation, NatureScot will host platforms for digital engagement as well as meetings and drop-in sessions across Dumfries & Galloway, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Rob Lucas, Chair of Galloway National Park Association believes the park is a chance not to be missed.
Lucas said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put Galloway on the map, with all the positive implications of funding and profile that come with that.
“A National Park won’t solve every problem that Galloway faces, but we think it can make a significant contribution to the future of the area.”
But the plans have been met with opposition from a group of locals under the banner, No Galloway National Park.
One of the group's founders, Denise Brownlee, predicts that without proper infrastructure, the area could suffer under the strain of increased tourism.
Brownlee said: “It their opposition is not about stopping tourism or anything like that, we welcome visitors.
“But we can only welcome them to a certain level once it gets to breaking point, like you see with the NC500, and all the problems they must face on a daily basis – it must be terrible to live there at times.
“We’re being sold this almost like Disney-view, this utopian vision of happy tourists and happy residents.
“But, if you actually read the information, it says that the tourist infrastructure is the priority, not the infrastructure for the people who actually live there.”
“We’re being sold this almost like Disney-view."
There are two other National Parks in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, established in 2002, and the Cairngorms, established in 2003 and extended in 2010.
Lucas concluded hopefully by saying: “What we can end up with, if Galloway is designated as we hope it is, is a National Park that is made in Galloway, for Galloway.”
While Brownlee remains defiant against the plans as they stand, saying: “We need all of our infrastructure, everything, looked at and sorted first before we even think about a National Park.”
Once complete, the findings of the public consultation will then be submitted to Ministers in April 2025 before the Scottish Parliament votes to approve the status.
The future of the plans, for now, is in the hands and voices of the public.