As we all know, at this time of year Lochaber is overwhelmed with visitors. Traffic grinds to a halt on the clogged roads, the glens, lochs, and coastal beaches are crowded with campervans and tents, bins overflow, rubbish is scattered far and wide for locals and seasonal rangers to clear up, and businesses struggle to recruit and maintain staff due to the housing shortage as ever more homes are turned into short-term let properties.
Is there a way to help Lochaber deal with these problems? – we think so.
The Scottish Government has committed to creating at least one new national park by 2026 and is asking communities across Scotland to consider whether their local area could be designated as the country’s next national park. Following a public consultation last year, the process has now begun to identify the location for Scotland’s third national park.
Scotland currently has two national parks: The Cairngorms, and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Parks, which play an important role in tackling the biodiversity and climate crises, while also supporting local communities, businesses, and visitors. The parks are managed by park authorities and are supported by government and grant funding, enabling the development of long-term projects to tackle problems like those mentioned above, support communities, and restore the environment.
Lochaber has been considered as a potential location for a national park for over 70 years, and with good reason: we have the highest mountain in the UK, spectacular mountain and coastal scenery, Atlantic rainforest and ancient Caledonian pine forest, complex geology, and a long cultural history - over 1,600 square kilometres of Lochaber already lies within National Scenic Areas. Millions of people visit Lochaber every year, so we also experience all the visitor pressures of a national park, but we do not currently have the resources available to a national park to manage them.
A local national park working group has been established to develop a bid for the Lochaber area. The first phase of the process involves local consultation and preparation of a bid proposing and justifying Lochaber as a candidate area. At this stage a park boundary does not need to be identified. If short-listed, the second phase will involve widespread community consultation to determine park priorities, boundaries, and management structure.
A national park in Lochaber will play a vital role in securing a more sustainable future for the area, helping to maximise the benefits that can be provided for local people, visitors, nature, and climate.
As a regular visitor, I think a major problem for the creation of a new country park is that so much of western Scotland is so stunningly beautiful, what would you leave out?
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with making Lochaber a national park anywhere else in Scotland for that matter!
ReplyDeleteMany folk in these communities have been protecting and preserving for years,Crofters,farmers,gamekeepers to name but a few without the help of national park status.
We need to look after what we have and put to bed the ridiculous idea of a Lochaber national park,it would be the ruination of life as we know it the highland clearances again.
Holiday home usage can already be addressed by the new short term letting regulations. You don’t need a national park authority for that.
ReplyDeleteWhat is missing is adequate government funding for enough affordable housing. That is what is needed.
A good number of those proposing this absurd intention to have a national park all have second or third homes in this area the only people a NP will benefit is them and their letting it out.
DeleteWe are overrun by tourists already gridlocked in the summer months a 10 min journey to town taking an hour plus. We do not need a NP to manage tourism this can be done locally in conjunction with Highland council.
The NP status will only be lining the pockets of those pushing for this and securing them in high paid jobs along with giving them huge powers which they will abuse to suit themselves.
The process of nominations Lochaber as a park is a sham , the few people behind this have “ fixed “ the survey so multiple submissions from a group. Or an individual will be included to give a false picture of public opinion. The disgraceful thing is the small group are aware and are complicit in this deception
ReplyDeleteSo your head line says a new NP will be created in 2026 and for all intents and purposes that will be Lochaber.
ReplyDeleteBased on your opening statement how can you go on to say there will be a consultation when you have already selected this region to be quashed by the bureaucracy of being a NP
Lochaber is an area of outstanding beauty, created by mother nature and managed perfectly well by those who live there. An increase in tourism will have a totally diabolical effect on everything the residents love, the infrastructure will disintegrate further (motor homes being one of the biggest offenders), houseing being lost even more to holiday lets and second homes. It's one area that should never be touched by those demanding a national park.
ReplyDelete