NFU Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway chairman has written a blog asking what happens next for the Galloway National Park.
In it, Stewart Wyllie considers the various options for the Scottish Government’s appointed reporter, NatureScot, with regards to next steps.
He points out there are several options and timelines that Scottish Ministers could adopt: from proceeding with designation as quickly as possible, to taking their time over it. Alternatively, they may decide not to proceed with the designation process but agree to do more inquiries and consultation.
Other options range from a Public Local Inquiry to a local referendum, although he notes this suggestion has already been vetoed by the Scottish Government.
Setting out what happens if it goes ahead, Stewart says there will be another stage of consultation, with more detail about what the national park would look like, including its boundary.
Then the Scottish Parliament would consider the Designation Order, when the public would get to provide views to constituency MSPs. Finally, the parliament would then scrutinise the draft legislation before deciding whether to approve or reject it.
Stewart concluded: “No matter what option the Scottish Government chooses, there is still a long way to go in this process.
“I can reassure members that, regardless of the outcome of the advice from NatureScot, NFUS will continue to oppose the creation of a new National Park in Galloway and will set out our proposed alternatives for working with others in the region to achieve the vision for agriculture which includes food production, climate mitigation, biodiversity and rural communities.”
n Read his full blog at: www.nfus.org.uk/news/blog/a-proposal-for-a-galloway-national-park–what-happens-now
