Minister rejects call for national park referendum

The rural affairs secretary has rejected the idea of holding a referendum on proposals to create Scotland's third national park in Galloway.

Mairi Gougeon said an ongoing consultation would allow residents in the area to express their opinion on the proposals.

The south of Scotland location was announced in July as the planned spot for a new national park, after the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

However, the selection has proved divisive and a campaign has been launched against the proposal.

Those backing the move say it could help to put the area on the map and boost the economy.

Appearing before Holyrood's Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, Ms Gougeon was asked if a local referendum could be the way forward.

SNP MSP Fergus Ewing suggested that it was "surely the only real way to measure opinion".

"I thought our party was in favour of referendums," he added.

Ms Gougeon said she thought it was important to see the consultation through.

"I'm in favour more of that process because I think within that we ask people if they want a national park within that area," she said.

"But there's also the wider qualitative information that we're getting out of that too."

Ms Gougeon said those who took part in the consultation could have their say on what the boundaries of the national park would look like.

She said it was important a variety of opinions on the site were heard.

Asked if she was ruling out a local referendum, she replied: "Yes."

Mr Ewing, who said he had been a resident in both national parks, said there had been no independent analysis of the success of either existing park in the past two decades since their creation.

Ms Gougeon said she would not stop the consultation on the new national park in order to undertake an independent review of existing ones.

However, she told MSPs it was "concerning" how divisive the proposal had proved among residents in the south of Scotland.

She added: "I think there has been concern that this is a done deal, that the government had a commitment to establish a park and regardless of what happens that would be taking place anyway.

"That is by no means the case.

"As I say, I want to hear what people in the area think about it before then determining any next steps."

The consultation, run by NatureScot, is already open and runs until 14 February.