GALLOWAY should be top of the list to be Scotland’s next national park.
That’s the view of South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth, who this week said: “It is no secret that I have been vocal in my view that a new national park should be in Galloway, and it is a proposal that has significant public support.
“With an internationally designated United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization biosphere, the first dark skies park in Scotland, the stunning Galloway forest, a rich mosaic of farmland that is important to delivering food security and amazing wildlife, Galloway has been a national park in waiting for years.”
He flagged up a report six years ago that predicted a new Galloway national park could add between 250,000 and 500,000 new visits each year to Galloway and South Ayrshire—worth £30 million to £60 million in additional spend—helping to create and support between 700 and 1400 additional jobs to complement existing jobs in crucial sectors such as agriculture.
Mr Smyth added: “That could be game changing for the local economy in one of the most peripheral parts of Scotland, whose challenges of low pay and outward migration of young people are well documented.
“Plans for a Galloway National Park have been discussed for years and with this new consultation underway, it should be top of the list for consideration.”
The MSP also paid tribute to the community-led campaigns by the Galloway National Park Association, saying: “The Galloway National Park Association has been tireless in their work to keep Galloway in the running for a new national park and I will continue to support them in every way I can.”
