A New Galloway man fears a national park in the region could lead to “industrial vandalism to our pristine landscapes”.
Stuart Littlewood spoke out after what South Scotland MSP Emma Harper described as a “very productive meeting” with the Galloway National Park Association.
In a Facebook post about the gathering, the SNP MSP said she had made it clear that a national park must have the right planning model and tackle the climate emergency “through, for example, not opposing renewable energy”.
That has sparked concern from Stuart Littlewood that more windfarms could be on the way – even after the association told him they only favoured renewable energy schemes such as individual turbines or solar panels on houses.
Mr Littlewood said: “In that case, why the warning not to oppose renewable energy?
“It seems to me much more likely, given Scottish Government’s mindset, that any promise of a national park will be on condition that industrial vandalism to our pristine landscapes must be allowed to continue without complaint.”
In response, Ms Harper said: “I have met with members of the Galloway National Park Association on a number of occasions and listened to their case for designating an area for a national park in Dumfries and Galloway, which could be beneficial to many people including local communities and visitors alike.
“However, I have been consistently clear that we cannot have a national park for national park’s sake and that any potential national park must have the right model and must work in the interest of all in our region.
“One of the areas I have raised with the Galloway National Park Association is over renewable energy.
“Currently, as it stands, renewable energy developments are not generally permitted within national parks.
“However, I have raised a question of the Scottish Government to ask whether any potential National Park will not exclude any renewable energy development, particularly given the current cost of living crisis, global climate emergency and need to ensure resilience of clean and green energy.
“Moving forward, I will continue to listen to all – our farmers, our land owners and residents – on their views on a Galloway National Park, and I look forward to the debate continuing.”
Galloway National Park Association chairman Rob Lucas added: “We didn’t change our view on renewables which is that’s determined by the planning framework and whether that is permissible in a national park.
“I think there was a misunderstanding because there are some renewables that are permissible such as individual wind turbines such as you might get powering an outlying building or individual farm.
“There could be on-building solar buildings and things like micro hydro.
“I saw Emma’s wording and thought it wasn’t as clear as it could have been.
“Our position hasn’t changed.
“We recognise that wind farms and national park are unlikely to go together in the current framework and therefore are not supportive of windfarms in the core part of the park, particularly those areas that don’t have windfarms at the moment.
“From a national park point of view, putting a windfarm in a place that is already surrounded by windfarms doesn’t really affect its national park status because it’s quite likely it wouldn’t get national park status on the basis of the other windfarms.
“I think it was confusion of the way renewables had been used.
“We’re supportive of small scale renewables but recognise windfarms and national parks don’t go together in the national framework and therefore wouldn’t be supportive of windfarms in places that don’t currently have them.”
