Briefing Note 15 Nov 2024 — Galloway National Park Association

Briefing note: A New National Park

This Briefing Note is a quick recap on some of the issues. We’ll send more soon.

Funding and economy

At a time when there are public spending cuts all round, this is a chance to get a major annual injection of money into some of our most economically fragile areas.

Galloway is very beautiful but has significant social and economic challenges. The population is declining fast. Wage levels are the lowest of any Scottish rural area and 40% of all children are born into low-income homes. The economic outlook is bleak.

The Park would bring jobs, investment and people.

The Park would have an annual budget of up to £10m, would employ staff and must produce a Partnership Plan following extensive consultation with the communities within the Park.
That’s your taxpayer £s being invested in your area.
At a UK level every £1 of direct government money is estimated to yield £10 of economic benefits.

If the project fails the money will not be allocated to anything else in our region it will just stay in government coffers and be lost to Galloway.

No National Park = No investment and the complete loss of hundreds of millions in benefits for nature, communities and the economy.

Young People

A National Park would be a fabulous gift to our children and all future generations.

Right now the young leave our area because the prospects are poor.

Parks attract in young people looking for a better work/life balance often bringing their jobs or their businesses with them. New people can bring children to fill empty primary school places (two primary schools closed this year) and new investment.

House prices

House prices are currently very low but that does not make them affordable – the bad state of our economy and low wages mean that many cannot afford a home.

A stronger economy with more opportunities to earn is essential. So are strategies to build more affordable housing. A National Park helps with both.

The evidence from the two existing Scottish Parks is that they get more affordable houses built and are more innovative in providing homes than local authorities. Like in other areas, the Park Authority would work with the councils which already have plans to increase the numbers of affordable housing.

Biodiversity, carbon reduction, access

The National Parks do an amazing job of bringing people and organisations together and generating the resources for wonderful projects in areas such as:

· Protecting endangered species

· Habitat restoration

· Restoring wood and peatlands

· Education and training

· Arts and culture

· Outdoor access and enjoyment.

Our new Park would have wide powers to provide grants particularly where these relate to carbon reduction, biodiversity gain and access.

It could work with SSDA (South of Scotland Destination Alliance) and VisitScotland to promote the area and it can promote the Biosphere and the Dark Skies Park.

Tourism

National Parks attract tourists who love nature, the countryside, culture and history. In 2023 the top three reasons for visits were:

· Scenery and landscape: Cairngorms 81%, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs 82% (Scotland 70%).

· History and culture: Cairngorms 58%, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs 60% (Scotland 48%).

· Outdoor activities: Cairngorms 40%, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs 34% (Scotland 27%).

Right now the region’s tourism figures leave a lot to be desired and there is a great deal of spare capacity.

Our bid predicts that a National Park could eventually bring an additional 440,000 visitors a year. As the typical stay is around 3.8 nights (and one of the main aims is to extend the season and get people in during low season) this would mean a modest but very valuable increase in the numbers here at any one time.

Depopulation

In the last 11 years we have seen a population loss of 5,600. More tourism would not strain our services. And there is no evidence that National Parks create pressure on the NHS. They bring in much needed extra revenue and opportunity.

If the Park can increase tourism over time towards the levels seen in Northumberland Park, we might eventually see a rise in visitors of 50% (around 80% of Northumberland Park).

This would bring our visitors numbers to 450 per sq. km compared with the Lake District of 7,000 per sq. km. This could add 1,500 jobs and £100m a year to our economy. In total the Park could draw in £250m a year and create 2,000 new jobs.

The Park Authority and its powers

All its powers relate to being able to make by-laws, enter into management agreements etc. It can only work on a partnership basis with communities, land managers and other organisations.

The National Parks Act allows the Scottish Government to make the Park the planning authority, responsible for the Development Plan and dealing with planning applications. This would return decision making to our area following its loss in 1975. All UK Parks have assumed this role.

However, the consultation is looking at whether it should have planning powers – take part and help decide.

The Board

The current consultation is looking at what shape and size the governing board would have – so you can help decide.

Currently at least 60% of Board members have to be locally elected and selected – that’s a mix of councillors (at least 30%) and directly elected members (at least 20%), topped up with Scottish Government nominees who are chosen for their special expertise.