A call has been made for the consultation on a potential Galloway National Park to be paused.
Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson claims there are “several significant and serious challenges and criticism” of the process.
And he fears people believe NatureScot – who will report to the Scottish Government on the proposal – may be biased towards the idea, something the body described as “misinformation”.
Mr Carson raised the matter in a letter to Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon, questioning the timescale of the consultation – due to end on February 14 – and why it was being held while a review of Scotland’s existing national parks is underway and existing legislation is being looked at.
He wrote: “Constituents rightly question whether it can ever adequately represent the views of local stakeholders, with many worried that the consultation may be biased towards those in favour of the park, potentially overlooking the voices of those who are opposed.
“These concerns include NatureScot’s appointment as reporter and subsequent handling of the consultation process with many arguing that the consultation is biased, particularly in the way public events and questionnaires are conducted.
“Another significant issue is the involvement of schools in the consultation process. I share the concern that presenting pro-park materials to students without offering balanced perspectives is inappropriate.”
Mr Carson also questioned the distribution of paper copies to homes, fearing it only provided the possibility of one response per household, rather than per individual.
Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “As I have said previously, it is extremely important that everyone with an interest has the opportunity to have their say. The consultation asks if people want a national park in Galloway, and what the area, governance and powers of a new park might be.
“Given there are only three weeks until the consultation closes, it is important to see the process through. When the consultation closes, NatureScot will analyse the responses and provide an independent evaluation of the consultation process when they report to the Scottish Government. We will carefully consider the findings before taking any further decisions on how to proceed.
“A number of further steps would be required before any designation, including further public consultation on a much more detailed proposal, and the necessary draft legislation which would set out the proposed area, powers, functions and governance arrangements of a new national park. I would encourage anyone with a view on the subject – in favour or against – to take part in the consultation before it closes on February 14.”
NatureScot’s head of people and places, Pete Rawcliffe, added: “Our focus is on ensuring this consultation is being carried out in a fair, transparent and balanced way.
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“We are pleased that more than 1,000 people have attended the 30-plus public consultation events and online sessions we have been running since November. These have been independently facilitated and allowed space for everyone to contribute their views, whether they support the proposal for a national park or not.
“We recognise the strength of local feeling that exists around the proposal, but we remain concerned about the nature of some of the contributions to the debate, and a range of misinformation – including accusations of bias – which may deter people from contributing positively and constructively.
“We believe it’s vitally important that we make efforts to hear what young people have to say on decisions that could affect their future.
“Young people are missed out in many consultation exercises, so we have worked with youth representatives and education specialists to find effective ways to get them involved in this consultation. In our sessions with young people, we emphasise that a national park in Galloway is not a done deal. We ask them to think about whether a park is right for their area or not, and what they think would happen and would like to happen if there was one.”
The consultation is available at https://newnationalparkgalloway.commonplace.is/