29 May 2025: Ministers have decided not to pursue a proposal to designate Galloway and Ayrshire as a National Park.
There has been considerable media coverage of the proposed new National Park. Following a successful bid from two local groups, NatureScot has published a consultation paper, available at A Proposed New National Park in Scotland - Have Your Say | NatureScot
It addresses very general high-level questions. Consultation has been ongoing since the beginning of the year, and NatureScot is due to report back to the Government at the end of April. The Government is keen to emphasise that no decision has been taken, and that, if local opinion is against a new park, then it will not go ahead.
The map below shows three options for the proposed Park, although, almost certainly, any final outline will be a compromise involving Option 1 and some of Options 2 and 3.
NatureScot is due to report back to the Government at the end of April. If the Government decides to go ahead, then there will be a further round of consultation, looking at the proposed Park in more detail. For sure, nothing is going to happen quickly.
At the time of writing, Dumfries & Galloway Council has declared itself as "undecided". The main factors that the Council has been considering are:
No Councillors have voted against the proposal, which proponents of the Park take as good news. The area is economically depressed, with many people working in the agricultural and forestry industries, both of which tend to be low-paying. There is no doubt that it could do with a boost, but at what cost? It will be interesting to see how things develop.
NEMT is neutral about the Park. The other two national parks in Scotland have paid little attention to conservation, choosing to focus on growing their local economies. Any national park in this area is expected to be the same.
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