Lochaber anti-national park campaigners take fight to Holyrood

For this reason, the groups called for a review of existing parks before a decision on a new park is made.

The process has now gone to public consultation, which has been extended to 14 weeks at it runs through Christmas.

Lochaber National Park No More organisers told the Lochaber Times: "We very much stand with Galloway in the stance of no to a national park.

"Millions is spent on cycle lanes no one uses and green policies that do not work. Lochaber desperately needs its infrastructure fixed and made fit for purpose, and Galloway is the same.

"Its unconscionable that funding for a new National Park in Scotland would be prioritised over this."

John Mayhew, from Scottish Campaign for National Parks, told the Lochaber Times: "The meeting was a great opportunity to get our views across, it’s good that the committee invited both sides. 

"Both sides have similar concerns, but different conclusions on how to fix them. 

"I would encourage everyone in Galloway to get involved in the public consultation, but read about it first, it’s important to be aware of the facts."

John reiterated that Galloway receiving Scotland’s third national park is not yet a "not a done deal".

NatureScot and the Scottish Government could both call it off, and the petitions committee, while not having that power, can influence the outcome following its deliberation. 

The petition will be considered again at a future meeting, before which the committee will hear from NatureScot and the cabinet secretary for rural affairs, land reform and islands. 

At the parliamentary meeting, Nick Kempe, of Parkswatch Scotland, said: "Because there isn’t a clear idea of what a national park would do, that’s created the division even further. And it’s why we need a review of existing national parks, we need a new model of national parks and then we might be able to take this forward more effectively."

John Mayhew, of Scottish Campaign for National Parks, agreed that some changes need to be made and called for smaller boards to allow a clearer picture. 

He said: "In the early days of the national park authorities I think both the boards were too large and too unwieldy. 

"That’s one of the lessons we can take from the existing national parks - try to make the board as small as possible, consistent with that principle of local majority."

Campaigner Iain Mackinnon spoke about litter on the roads and verges in the currently existing national parks, such as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the failing state of facilities around the country. 

He said: "I have looked at the verges along Loch Lomond and they’re hideous. There’s nothing that we can do because they can’t be cleared safely without closing the road to go and pick up the litter. 

"Tourism is one of our most important industries and we’re failing in delivering the most basic things at places like the Fairy Pools on Skye. 

"I live at the mouth of the Morar River, two days of sunshine and the bins are full to overflowing. The toilets are not looked after, Highland Council gave them up because they don’t have the funds and the local community group took them on. 

"If we can’t provide the basic services of litter-clearing, toilets and parking, and we’re not doing that in our existing national parks, we shouldn’t be considering a future one."

Denise Brownlee, of No Galloway National Park, said: "We are already a quite heavy tourist area down in Dumfries and Galloway.

"This impact at the moment is bad enough but seeing the impacts elsewhere after 20 years I think it’s something we can’t handle. We can’t handle those kind of numbers."”

Rob Lucas, of Galloway National Park Association, added: “The national park brand is a very powerful way of bringing people to an area, and an area which is currently very under-recognised.

“We spoke to well over 2,000 people and two messages came through.

“First of all, they wanted to put Galloway on the map and they felt a national park could do that, because that would give some recognition. The second reason was they felt that Galloway was a place that things were done to, and not done with."