Protesters have failed to block a bid to create Scotland’s third national park in northern Perthshire.
Perth and Kinross Council chiefs submitted their formal bid to the Scottish Government on Thursday.
The submission follows an eight-week public consultation. More than half (58%) of around 350 respondents supported the creation of a Tay Forest National Park.
The proposed park could stretch across almost 3,000 square kilometres of Perthshire.
It would take in the towns of Aberfeldy, Comrie, Crieff, Dunkeld and Pitlochry.
But critics say national park policies – such as beaver re-introduction – conflict with the interests of local farmers and managers.
Around 60 objectors gathered at the City Chambers in Perth ahead of Wednesday’s Perth and Kinross Council budget meeting.
And they have branded the response to the public consultation on the plan as “woeful”.
Tay Forest National Park critics highlight lack of public support
Perth and Kinross Council says it took feedback from communities, land managers, businesses and others on the Tay Forest National Park plan between October and December last year.
It says there were more than 350 responses to the Consultation Hub survey. More than 160 people attended in-person drop-in sessions.
Around 40 land managers took part in a dedicated in-person workshop.
And 24 representatives from 19 environmental organisations contributed to a dedicated online workshop.
But organisers of Wednesday’s protest say the number of responses amounts to a tiny proportion of the population.
And the Tayside and Central Scotland Moorland Group says 78% of land managers – oppose the creation of a Tay Forest National Park.
The group’s members include gamekeepers and shepherds.
They say some of the greatest opposition to the scheme has come from PH8 postcodes. These cover the area between Crieff and Aberfeldy, where the Tay Forest National Park could be sited
Deirdre Falconer, co-ordinator of the group, said experience from the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national parks showed policies – around issues such as beaver re-introduction – are frequently at odds with the interests of local people.
“The consultation process that has been run in Tayside has been woeful in galvanising responses and explaining what the implications of a national park would be,” she added.
“We do not believe it can be right for the bid to proceed with such little support – especially when those likely to be impacted the most are diametrically opposed.”
National park ‘an exciting opportunity’
The Scottish Government has committed to creating at least one new national park under the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Scottish Greens.
Perth and Kinross Provost Xander McDade said the chance to create a new national park in northern Perthshire, with central government funding, was an exciting opportunity.
“We have listened to all the feedback we received during the consultation period and used it to help shape our vision,” he said.
“We truly believe that a Tay Forest National Park could be transformative for the local economy, environment and communities in northern Perthshire.”
But he added: “We are keen to continue our engagement, particularly with those who were not supportive of the bid to understand their concerns better and how we might address those if the bid is selected.”
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