Still working hard on National Parks

Since the cancellation of the process to designate a new National Park in Galloway we have been busy taking the opportunity of the Natural Environment Bill to look at what could be improved in the process of designation, as well as to make existing National Parks more effective.

The Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026 was the first opportunity to review and revise the legislation around Scottish National Parks for 25 years. The Bill was passed and became an Act in early 2026, with Part 2 containing the new legislation specific to National Parks.

The legislation now contains a duty on public bodies and office bearers to have regard to the statutory National Park aims and also strengthens the pre-existing duty around implementation of Park Plans. It also introduces a requirement for the Scottish Government to publish a policy statement on national parks and to revise it every 10 years. These, and other changes will, we hope, help to make our existing National Parks more effective and result in an improved designation process for new National Parks in future.  For more information on the changes see this news item from March 2026.

We remain disappointed that the Scottish Government failed to deliver on it’s commitment to designate a new National Park in Scotland during the last parliamentary session 2021-2026.  We critically considered the selection and Reporting process undertaken by the Government and some of our proposed amendments to the Natural Environment Bill reflected this.  However, it is hugely regrettable, particularly given the nature and climate crisis we are facing that the opportunity for a new protected area with committed ongoing government funding (which is not available to other designations) was not taken.

So creating new National Parks in Scotland remains “Unfinished Business” (see our Reports here by scrolling down the page).  Scotland needs to value its protected areas and ensure we are managing them in the longterm public interest. Our new approach is going to be guided by APRS’s new expert committee named in memory of John Mayhew, a much missed advocate for National Parks and Scotland’s Landscapes and a previous Director of APRS.  The Mayhew Committee will incorporate expertise from both APRS’s membership/supporters but also that previously within SCNP (the Scottish Campaign for National Parks) which was initially conceived as an APRS subcommittee and has had various incarnations since, existing as a separate organisation from the 1980s until 2026.

1 During the progress of the Bill the National Parks section was part 3, but due to the removal of part 2 this changed when it became an Act.

More detail on the proposed changes to the Natural Environment Bill

Guidance on how a suggested area has to meet the criteria in the 2000 Act from Scottish Government

The 2000 Act currently makes no mention of how an area comes forward to be considered for proposal by Ministers and potential designation as a new National Park. It could be helpful if government set out in guidance how it expects an area put forward in future to meet or be  likely to meet the criteria for a National Park that are set out in the Act. The guidance should be reviewed periodically.

The suggested new guidance would mean that the pre-selection process does not have to be re-invented for each potential proposal, potentially making the non-statutory part of the process smoother and more time-efficient compared with the recent process. Furthermore the first iteration of the guidance could build on and formalise the work done in 2024 by Scottish Government to draft, publicly consult on and then publish the bespoke evaluation criteria used for assessing the 5 bids in the 2024 nomination process.

A firmer vision of the National Park at the point Scottish Ministers formally propose a new National Park

When the Ministers propose an area as a new National Park, the Act says they think the conditions in 2(2) ‘are or may be satisfied’, but currently at that point Ministers only have to set out in writing “in general terms” (a) the area and (b) the functions which it is proposed the National Park Authority (NPA) should exercise. We suggest that at this point of proposal, Ministers should have to include in the written proposal a much more detailed proposal, including clear information covering most or all of the required content for a draft designation order, but in a more accessible format.
 

This would provide a much firmer basis for public engagement and consultation. It would also have clearer support from the government proposing it. This would not stop the public consultation stage of the Reporting process considering alternative details – e.g. boundary, functions, governance etc – but would give a much firmer and hopefully more coherent proposal as a starting point and avoid a hiatus after a Ministerial proposal, thereby allowing an information vacuum.

Consideration of the role of Reporter

Consideration could to be given to which public body carries out this role in terms of expertise and resources.  The 2000 Act suggests NatureScot but already allows for alternatives. If more research and preparation by public bodies or government advisors has gone into the preparation of a National Park Proposal before the reporting stage starts (as suggested at 2 above) then it may be more appropriate to choose a Reporter with specialist skills in conducting non-confrontational inquiries or processes.  

Whichever body takes on the role, the Reporter should be required to produce its recommendations independently, and their recommendations should be evidence based and for the benefit of the people of Scotland (both current and future generations).

What you can do

You can contact your MSPs to let them know that you support National Parks. There is still a huge amount of support in the Parliament for National Parks and it is good for MSPs to hear how strongly people in Scotland feel about our National Parks, and the need for more.

Watch Nikki Sinclair of APRS give evidence at the Parliament Committee discussing the Natural Environment Bill

Read our written evidence to the Committee