Scotland’s third national park should be created in the picturesque East Neuk of Fife, campaigners argue.
Local Lib Dem councillor Bill Porteous would like to see the East Neuk designated as Scotland’s third national park.
He has the backing of the Scottish National Parks Strategy Project, which is campaigning for more national parks across the country.
Scottish Government ministers are opposed to the idea while all the other main political parties support creating more parks.
Mr Porteous suggested the East Neuk’s mix of villages, coastlines and rare habitats would make it an ideal candidate to join the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
“It’s a conversation. I’m not saying we should set up a national park, but I do want people to talk and consider whether it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
He continued: “A large number of people around here have concerns about protecting the beautiful area, both at land and at sea, and the coastal villages.
“We recognise that we are having a lot of tourists and continue to have those. National parks, to some extent, can help to manage that.”
Scotland has two national parks: the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.
Mr Porteous says an East Neuk National Park would easily compare.
“It’s as beautiful as Loch Lomond, and I don’t think anyone would deny it,” he said.
“There’s the Fife coast and countryside, the iconic little villages, the food that’s grown locally.”
Mr Porteous says national park status would secure funding for additional countryside rangers and bring new jobs to the area.
“National parks are very good at providing additional employment opportunities for both young and old,” said the East Neuk and Landward councillor.
“I’m not necessarily saying that youngsters will want to stay here, they might want to move to Glasgow or wherever.
“But if the employment opportunities are here then that would be grand.”
Scottish Government ‘very much against’
John Mayhew, project manager for the Scottish National Parks Strategy Project, said: “At the moment the Scottish Government is very much against having any more national parks.
“We’ve been campaigning for the last 11 years for another national park in Scotland.
“It depends on the outcome of the election. The SNP is not in favour of more national parks but all the opposition parties are.”
He added that the budget for the existing national parks was in the region of £14 million and estimates a Fife national park would cost the government considerably less than £7m.
However, when seven potential locations for new national parks were identified in 2013, Fife was not included.
“Fife wasn’t one of those areas. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a national park but it’s not one of our priorities,” said Mr Mayhew.
Need for local campaign
Mr Mayhew said the two parts of Scotland where support is really strong are the Borders and Galloway.
“In both those areas there are full-scale local campaigns with hundreds of members going strong.
“So if there was to be another national park, those would be in the lead.
“The only way Fife is going to get to that table is if it sets up another major, community-based campaign to show that there’s a clear strength of feeling there that it should be considered.
“Is Fife a national park? That is for local people to say.”