A Proposed New National Park in Scotland - Have Your Say

Scottish Ministers have made a statutory proposal to establish a new National Park in the Galloway area (including parts of East and South Ayrshire). At this stage, no decision to establish this National Park has been made and Ministers are keen to gauge the level of support for the proposal and alternatives to it. 

Ministers appointed NatureScot as the ‘Reporter’ to consult and advise them on the proposal. They also issued guidance to NatureScot about how it should undertake this task. We are undertaking this consultation as part of the programme of work to fulfil these requirements. It follows a phase of pre-consultation work to inform and engage communities and stakeholders across the proposed area.

The Consultation 

This consultation seeks views on designating a National Park in the south west of Scotland, and on the possible area and potential functions, powers and governance it could have. We will report to Scottish Government what you tell us and take it into account in our final advice.

There are two formats of the survey: a summary version (10 plus questions) designed for individuals and households and a longer, more technical version (40 plus questions) designed more for organisations and stakeholder groups. A paper version of the summary consultation survey has been distributed to addresses in and near the proposed area. For returning completed responses, the postage cost for a large letter, 2nd class is £1.55. We may not be able to accept consultation forms posted to us with insufficient stamps to cover the cost. Instead of posting, they can be handed in at the remaining consultation events being held across the region until 23 January. Alternatively, individuals can complete the survey online.

Events

We are also organising a series of independently facilitated open public meetings together with drop-in surgeries across the area during the consultation period. 

Events: in-person and online

We are pleased to outline the consultation public events which have been confirmed so far. Any additional events will be added to this page, so keep an eye out for updates in the coming weeks and months.

The announced events will be facilitated by independent consultants, on behalf of NatureScot, and everyone will be supported to share their ideas and opinions in a welcoming environment. There will be sessions within each of these consultation events, asking for responses on different topics, as well as interactive boards and spaces, and opportunities to leave anonymous feedback. 

DateLocationVenueTimeStatus
22 JanCastle DouglasTown Hall18:00 - 20:00Confirmed
23 JanDumfriesBaptist Church Centre12:00 - 14:00Confirmed
23 JanDumfriesBaptist Church Centre18:00 - 20:00Confirmed
27 JanCumnockDumfries Arms Hotel12:00 - 14:00Confirmed

Online Events

If you cannot attend any of the consultation events in-person, our independent consultants will also be facilitating online consultation events at the dates and times below. Places are limited so if you reserve a spot and can no longer attend, please let the organisers know. You can register for these at the following link: Online Consultation Events.

DateTime
14 Jan10:00 - 11:30

Drop-in Events

We have also organised the following drop-in surgeries with NatureScot employees to discuss specific topics. These are taking place at the following dates and times:

DateLocationVenueTime
21 JanBarrhill  Barrhill Memorial Hall, Main St, Barrhill, Girvan KA26 0PP12:00 – 14:00 

 

Before completing your chosen survey, we suggest you read the consultation paper, that provides more information and details on the proposal, particularly sections 1-3 which set out the background to the consultation; provide information on how a National Park could operate in Galloway; what some of the consequences of Park status may be; and discusses the case for and against it.

Consultation Paper – Proposed National Park in Galloway

 A list of both survey questions can be found below.

Summary Survey: Questions

Support or Oppose a new National Park

Q1. To what extent do you support the idea of a new National Park being established in the southwest of Scotland?

Area Options

Q2. Which option do you prefer?

Q2b. Would you like to make any changes to or comments on your preferred option (e.g. make it smaller or larger, add or remove particular areas, features or settlements)? If so, where and why 

What a new National Park Authority could do

Q3. Please note any comments on these suggestions for planning, access, forestry and wind farms in the box below.

Who should be members of the National Park Authority?

Q4. Do you support these proposals for Board size and percentage of directly-elected members? 

Q4b. What alternative options do you suggest, and why?

Q4c. Please explain why?

Board Expertise

Q5. Should Scottish Ministers appointments to the Board include expertise on nature, farming and forestry?

Q5b. What other areas of expertise would the Board require, and why?

National Park Name

Q6. Do you agree the park, if established, should be called the Kingdom of Galloway National Park? 

Q6b. If not, what alternatives would you suggest?

Adding any further comments

Please add here any other comments that are relevant to the proposal.

Technical Survey: Questions

Q1a. To what extent do you support the idea of a new National Park being established in the south west of Scotland?

Q1b. Please tell us the main reason(s) for your opinion.

Q2a. Are there any alternatives to a National Park in Galloway that you would support? Please explain your answer.

Q2b. What are the advantages of your preferred alternative(s) over a National Park?

Q3a. If a National Park was to be designated, which of the three options presented in Map 4-1 and Table 4-1 would you support?

Q3b. Please give your reasons.

Q3c. Do you have comments on the extent of the area in your preferred option? Would you add or remove particular areas, features or settlements to make the option smaller or larger? And if so, why?

Q4. Is there another option for the area of the proposed National Park which should be considered? If so, what do you suggest and why?

Q5a. Looking at the description of the options presented in Table 4-1, do you think they meet the legislative conditions for designation?

Q5b. Do you have any additional comments on Table 4-1 which might be relevant to the consideration of the geographic area?

Q6a. Do these principles provide a reasonable basis for drawing up a detailed National Park boundary for the area?

Q6b. Do you have any suggestions for changes to these principles which would be specifically required for drawing up a boundary for a National Park in this part of Scotland?

Q7. Are there any further existing functions and powers from recent legislation that would be beneficial for this Park Authority to be able to draw on and why?

Q8a. Do you agree with the need for a bespoke approach suggested for the planning function for a National Park authority in Galloway?

Q8b. Looking at the possible options in Box 5-2, how do you think this should work in practice?

Q8c. What alternatives should be considered and why?

Q9a. Do you agree that the National Park should in principle become an access authority for its area?

Q9b. If not, what other options could be considered and why?

Q9c. Do you agree with the suggested approach to core path planning? 

Q9d. If not, what other options could be considered and why?

Q9e. What are the strengths and weakness of these options for access and other fora? 

Q9f. Are there any other options you would want to see considered?

Q10a. Do you think that the new National Park should establish its own ranger service? 

Q10b. What are the strengths and weakness of this approach?

Q10c. Are there any other options which should be considered and why? 

Q11a. Do you agree with these possible arrangements?

Q11b. If not, what alternative approaches should be considered and why?

Q12a. Do you support these proposals for the potential size and composition of a National Park Board in the Galloway area?

Q12b. What do you think would be the advantages or disadvantages of these suggested arrangements?

Q12c. What alternative options could be considered and why?

Q13a. Should Scottish Minister appointments to the Board include expertise on nature, farming and forestry?

Q13b. What other areas of expertise would the Board require, and why?

Q14. Do you have suggestions for the topics that National Park sub-committees and advisory groups should be created for?

Q15. What steps could be taken to ensure a new National Park operated in ways which are inclusive of ethnic minorities and other protected characteristics?

Q16. Views are sought on the timing of the direct elections in respect to the selection of other elements of National Park Board.

Q17a. What options for using the existing public sector staff and resources to undertake the work of the National Park Authority should be considered and why?

Q17b. Are there any benefits or drawbacks to these options which need to be considered?

Q18a. What level of staffing do you think is appropriate for the area, powers and functions and governance arrangements being considered?

Q18b. What other areas of work would require further staffing and why?

Q19a. Do you agree that – if designated – the National Park should be called the ‘Kingdom of Galloway National Park’?

Q19b. If not, what alternatives would you suggest?

Q20. Do you have any other comments you wish to make here which are relevant to the proposal?

Q21. Is there further evidence and information you want to provide on the potential positive or negative environmental, social and economic impacts of the proposed National Park?


Summary version

Summary Version - Gaelic (Printable version)

Technical version

We only expect respondents to fill out one survey, though the choice of which one is up to you. The first question of each survey is the same and seeks to gauge support or opposition to the proposed National Park. Responses to the rest of the questions in the surveys allow us to gauge views on the possible arrangements for the proposed National Park in terms of area, powers and functions, governance and name. Both these elements of the consultation will inform our advice to Ministers. If you have indicated opposition to the proposed National Park in Q1 of the surveys, we will assume in our analysis that this position applies to all the other questions unless you indicate otherwise.

Other material, including an overview of the pre-consultation work and the feedback received to date will be published separately. We will also provide further information and briefings on key issues during the consultation period in response to questions being raised.

You do not need to answer all the questions in either survey. For your response to be analysed in accordance with our data policy and the requirements of our advice to Ministers, we do need to ask for the some basic information about you. This will also help us to understand the strength and range of local and national opinion.

The deadline for responses is midnight on 14 February 2025

Please get in touch by email or in writing if you have any issues completing your survey: 

National Park Reporter team 

Email: [email protected]

In writing: National Park Reporter team, NatureScot, Battleby, Perth, PH1 7EW

What will happen next?

All responses submitted online through the survey links above will receive an automatic acknowledgment.

Following the closing date, all responses will be analysed and considered along with any other available evidence. 

Where respondents have given permission for their response to be made public, and after we have checked that they contain no potentially defamatory material, responses will be made available to the public. 

An analysis report will be prepared and made available alongside the finalised advice we provide to Ministers.

If Scottish Government decides to proceed with the designation process, it will consult further on the more detailed contents of a Draft Designation Order, including a detailed boundary. The final stage of the process is the consideration of the Designation Order by the Scottish Parliament and this will include the chance for the public to provide views to constituency MSPs. The Scottish Parliament would then scrutinise the draft legislation before deciding whether to approve it. 

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