Lack of support has finished the plan to locate Scotland’s third National Park in Galloway, and MP John Cooper says he is pleased local opinion has been heeded.
‘Too often on things such as wind farms, we see local opposition bulldozed aside.
‘The consultation on a Galloway National Park was deeply flawed – it was always far too vague.
‘And while I raised right at the start questions about what weighting would be given to the opinions of those living in Dumfries & Galloway compared to those outwith, I never got a satisfactory answer,’ said the Conservative MP.
‘I was in Holyrood when Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, confirmed the Park plan is finished.
‘It was clearly not as wildly popular as the SNP / Greens thought it would be when they first cooked up the idea.
‘There were attempts to portray the “blank sheet of paper” approach of the consultation as a good thing, but it was nebulous, and led to claim and counterclaim about what a Galloway National Park might be like.
‘How could you evaluate claims for how many jobs the Park would supposedly create when there were no fixed ideas on basics such as what area it would cover?
‘Galloway is not like the other two parks – our hills have hill farms, not just hillwalkers – and no way should remote and distant National Park bureaucrats be anywhere near decisions on some of the most productive grassland in the UK.
‘Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in Dumfries & Galloway, and it’s not just about farmers and stockmen – it’s about the hundreds of jobs in associated businesses, from seed merchants to machinery firms, to accountants who do the books.’
Cooper said the lack of detail led to misinformation, and even intimidation.
‘This woolly consultation method must never be repeated by the Scottish Government on any issue.
‘I was subject to a thinly disguised threat from the Yes side because someone didn’t think I backed their side sufficiently.
‘I was warned to “moderate my language”. After over 30 years in journalism, where people make similar threats to twist stories to their liking, I know a naked attempt to shut me up when I see one.’
Cooper added that lessons from the other two parks should have been heeded. ‘Many say those Parks are expensive, bureaucratic and have not delivered promised benefits.
‘If there was money to run a third National Park – and I am not convinced there ever was – it would have been better spent on promoting Galloway as a go-to, and not a go-through, destination.
‘We need money for infrastructure, not people with clipboards dictating the size of byres, or the colour of signage.’
