Galloway chosen as preferred site of next national park

There are 15 national parks in the UK, two of which are in Scotland.

The last to be established was the South Downs on the south east coast of England in 2010.

The Scottish government’s rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon unveiled the decision at Shambellie House, within the proposed new park.

She said: “The proposal is community led, has the backing of many local businesses and makes a strong case on the benefits that national park status will bring for people who live in the area, for the local economy and for the environment.”

She added that the bid had shown “unique and distinct character”, and that the park status would help in “tackling the nature and climate crisis”.

It has been more than 20 years since the last national park was created in Scotland, which led the SNP and the Scottish Greens to agree that “at least one” would be designated by the end of the current parliamentary session in 2026.

The Scottish Borders, Lochaber, Loch Awe and Tay Forest were the other regions in contention.

Ms Gougeon added that the competition had been “extremely tough.”