Council undecided over new national park plans

Consultation is drawing to a close on plans to create a new national park in Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway councillors have voted to respond to the official consultation on creating a new national park in the area as "undecided".

Campaigners for and against the proposals for Galloway hailed the move as a victory.

Opponents said it meant the local authority had decided not to endorse the plans with a round of consultation set to close next week.

Those in favour of a national park said it meant that no councillors had opposed its creation.

Consultation on the proposal to create Scotland's third national park in Galloway closes on 14 February.

The council convened a special meeting to discuss its response and also agree whether it was generally in favour or opposed to the plans.

A move to get behind the proposals, tabled by Labour councillors, was voted down by 25 to 15 in favour of saying the council was "undecided".

Once the consultation is completed it will be taken to the Scottish government to inform its decision on whether to take the designation process forward.

If it decides to do so, there would be another round of consultation before any approval would be sought at the Scottish Parliament.

Galloway would become Scotland's third national park if the proposals are taken forward

Labour councillor Linda Dorward led the motion asking the council to say it would "tend to support" the creation of a park.

She urged councillors to "embrace being brave and bold" and "get off that fence".

"It never ceases to amaze the me that some of my fellow elected members have the astounding ability to want to continue to preserve the status quo of a failing economy," she said.

However, councillors voted instead to say they were "undecided" about the scheme - having previously supported the concept in principle.

The SNP's Stephen Thompson said the proposals were too vague and called for members to vote undecided.

"We're not the determining body and it is already in train so nothing we do at this point is going to stop the process," he said.

"However, I would rather be in a position where we get a detailed proposition in front of us that takes into account the things we are feeding back today."

He said that included concerns about infrastructure, local accountability and the planning system.

Both opponents and those in favour of the park hailed the council's stance as a victory

The No Galloway National Park (NGNP) campaign welcomed the council's stance.

Co-founder Denise Brownlee said: "This throws a huge spanner in the works for the Scottish government's plan for a park in our area.

"It's such a significant decision and shows just how much uncertainty and unhappiness there is about the way this whole process has been conducted by both the Scottish government and NatureScot.

"People are starting to realise that you can't support something when you don't have any facts, and a vacuum has been created by the lack of clarity in what is being planned."

She described it as a "victory for common sense".

'Excellent news'

The Galloway National Park Association welcomed the fact that "not a single councillor" had voted against the scheme.

Rob Lucas, who chairs the group, said: "It's excellent news that the council will be having a positive input into the consultation and have made it very clear that the process should continue.

"Councillors from across the political spectrum and from all Dumfries and Galloway will be contacting NatureScot to make clear that they believe a new national park represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to build a better future.

"All of them recognise that with a national park we have the chance to help our communities and environment thrive, without it they will continue their long decline."

He added that wider support for the park was now also being seen among businesses, elected representatives and health experts.