Nominate a new National Park
SCNP has campaigned for many years for more National Parks in Scotland and welcomes the Scottish Government's commitment to designate at least one more. This blog describes how they propose to invite nominations and on which they are now seeking views. A decade ago, SCNP published its “Unfinished Business” report, which identified seven areas of Scotland that it thinks merit designation and is well aware, given Scotland’s wealth of beautiful and varied landscapes, that a similar case could be made for other areas. We'd be happy to discuss the possibilities.
The Scottish Government (SG) has committed to designating and funding at least one new National Park in Scotland by May 2026. They are launching a nominations process in Autumn 2023 for people to put forward an area of Scotland for consideration as a new National Park.
Register interest
To help groups interested in their area becoming a National Park or exploring the possibility, SG has opened a register of interest to keep people informed about what’s happening. To register an interest, you need to email NationalParks@gov.scot
If you don’t register, you could still make a nomination, but registering will allow SG to update you with any important information, key dates, and potential support to groups wishing to nominate an area. Registering an early interest doesn’t mean you have to go on to make a nomination.
What will happen next?
Scotland’s two National Parks were designated without a public nomination process, so SG is developing a new nomination and appraisal process. Based on consultations carried out last year and having considered advice from NatureScot, the SG is consulting on its proposed appraisal framework with broad selection criteria for new National Parks. Most of the 16 consultation questions are about the draft criteria for appraising nominations, but you can also comment on the framework and nominations process more generally. You can comment on the consultation until 4 August 2023. It is called “New National Parks in Scotland: Appraisal Framework: Consultation Paper” and is available here
The SG is expected to open the nomination process in the Autumn of 2023 for around five months.
Draft Nomination Form
To get a better idea of what’s involved in developing a nomination, look at the SG’s New National Parks in Scotland: Nomination process and draft appraisal framework. It shows a draft of the Nomination Form (at Annex A) with 5 questions that nominating groups must answer. It also contains information about how nominations will be considered (the appraisal criteria) and background information about the process.
What if my area isn’t selected?
It will be for Ministers and, ultimately, the Scottish Parliament to decide which area or areas gets designated as the country's next National Park, and if, as we hope, several different areas are nominated, some candidate areas may be unsuccessful. But take heart, immediate designation as a National Park is not the only way your area might benefit from this exercise. Quite apart from the hope - expressed by NatureScot in their 2023 advice - that there could be a pipeline of new National Parks for future designation, there are also other options. The SG has already said that they may seek to contact unsuccessful nominating groups to discuss their submission and any viable alternative options, particularly where there is the potential to contribute to nature restoration and climate mitigation significantly.
SCNP and partners have campaigned for many years for more National Parks and the reinvigoration of other protected area designations (see our Report on Regional Parks), and our members are happy to talk to people who might be interested in putting forward areas for consideration - please contact info@scnp.org.uk
