Campaigners against a national park in Galloway say that they are disappointed but not surprised by the Scottish Government’s decision to reject a local referendum on the controversial plan.
Giving evidence to Holyrood’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee on Wednesday, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon insisted that the current consultation run by the Scottish Government’s NatureScot agency should continue.
Denise Brownlee, co-founder of the No Galloway National Park campaign, said: “This comes as no surprise because when we met Ms Gougeon last week she made it clear she did not support a local referendum.
“This is disappointing because the decision to proceed or not now relies on the totally biased and contaminated NatureScot consultation as the only means to measure local opinion. Not only is NatureScot clearly committed to a national park in Galloway, but outside groups, some of which receive funding through NatureScot, are already determined to sway the result in favour of a national park in the region.
“NatureScot is even going into schools with a totally skewed presentation to promote a park and is then encouraging children to complete the questionnaire. It is completely unacceptable.
“Park supporters claim the national park will be for the people of Galloway, but it’s clear that national political priorities come first.
“Local meetings are packed with people who recognise there is absolutely no need for a national park or the faceless bureaucrats and unaccountable Scottish Government appointees which will come with it, but the priority should be the desperate need for proper investment in infrastructure and housing.
“A local referendum would at least have the benefit of producing a clear result which both sides would have to respect, but we all are left with is NatureScot’s judgement in which one side of this debate has absolutely no faith.”
The NatureScot consultation closes on February 14. Ms Gougeon told the committee that, “We’re in the middle of the consultation process at the moment, so I think it’s important that we see that through.”
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