CAMPAIGNERS in the Borders have shared their disappointment after the region missed out on being the next site of a national park.

On Monday (July 22) the Scottish Government announced that Galloway had been chosen as the preferred option.

The Campaign for a Scottish Borders National Park (CSBNP) put the bid in for the region.

And it made it onto a five-strong shortlist alongside Galloway, Lochaber, Loch Awe and Tay Forest.

CSBNP spokesman Malcolm Dickson said: “Of course we are disappointed that our bid was unsuccessful.

“However, we are glad that a bid from the south of Scotland has been successful, and that there is likely to be a new national park in Galloway.”

Scotland has two existing parks at the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

The government is committed to designating at least one new park by 2026.

Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale MSP Christine Grahame, of the SNP, said: “I am obviously very disappointed having supported the Borders bid and disappointed for all who worked hard on the proposal.

“While congratulating Galloway, where I once lived, it simply means we in the Borders must redouble our efforts to entice tourists to this wonderful and easily accessible part of Scotland.”

The bid to create a national park in the Borders was not welcomed by all. A plea to support the proposals was crushingly rejected by councillors last year after being labelled “half-baked” and “incoherent”.

The report to full council cited potential negative impacts, including increased house prices, additional bureaucracy and pressures on infrastructure and services.

Some of the benefits of a national park were seen as supporting the economy and preserving the area’s landscape and cultural heritage in perpetuity.

Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP Rachael Hamilton, of the Conservatives, said: “A national park in the Borders may be feasible in the future but the current proposals did not fill me with confidence. The plans may have negatively impacted the very people who live and work on the land, our farmers and food producers.

“We need a proper land use strategy that properly recognises the vital role of food production and the impact to communities of energy developments.”

Galloway National Park Association and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO biosphere made a joint bid for a national park.

Rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon visited Shambellie House, which is within the proposed Galloway National Park, where she said: “We received nominations for new national parks from some really special places – Lochaber, Loch Awe, Scottish Borders and Tay Forest.

“The competition was extremely tough and the bids have clearly shown the outstanding natural and cultural heritage we have in Scotland, as well as people’s ambitions for the rural communities they live in.”

NatureScot will now conduct a public consultation to gauge interest and whether Galloway should join the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs as a national park.

The consultation’s findings will then be presented to Scottish Ministers in April next year.