Achi news desk-
Nature Scot was awarded £100,000 and the total cost of impact assessment is £48,269.22 so far. The rest of the £315,881.29 was spent on consultation, which has cost £27,387.77.
The expenditure was revealed in a freedom of information request.
The Scottish Government said it was unable to provide a figure for staffing costs saying that civil servants “operate flexibly across a range of policies and programs in accordance with the specific requirements of the work at any given time.”
Lochaber is one of five areas in Scotland in the running to become Scotland’s new national park.
Locations in the Scottish Borders, Galloway, Loch Awe and Tay Forest are also being assessed for suitability with a final decision expected in the summer.
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The Lochaber National Park NO More campaign group argues that the money would be better spent on infrastructure projects including a replacement for the dilapidated Belford hospital.
Rebuilding plans were at an advanced stage when the Scottish Government announced earlier this year that funding for capital projects was being delayed.
The group shared the costs of the national park on social media, prompting one person to respond: “Scotland contributes around £180m a year towards the Trident nuclear missile program and you’re worried about £300,000.
“Seriously?”
However, Debbie Carmichael, who leads the group, said: “It’s a ridiculous amount for a vanity project.
“This also only covers government costs – it does not include other expenditure such as council grants that the working groups have applied for.
“Loch Lomond and the Trossachs have so many issues, as do the Cairngorms. Before creating new ones the existing ones need to be reviewed.”
Supporters of national parks say they can lead to areas attracting spin-off investment.
Over the past twenty years the Cairngorms National Park Authority alone has brought over £24M to the area (on top of core government funding) and has recently been awarded a further £10.7M in grant funding towards the Cairngorms 2030 project which focus on climate and sustainability.
The Park Authority said more than 2,000 houses had been built since 2003, including hundreds of affordable houses built over the past few years with investment in much-needed ranger services and visitor infrastructure.
SNP Member of Parliament Fergus Ewing has suggested that Scots living within the boundaries of the area chosen to be the country’s new National Park should be given the opportunity to vote whether to approve or veto the plans in a local referendum.
Mr Ewing, who represents Inverness and Nairn, said ministers should have reviewed the impact of the two existing national parks – the Cairngorms National Park, designated in 2003, and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park in 2002 – before proceeding to establish a third National Park.
Former biodiversity minister Lorna Slater said a public consultation had shown “broad support” for new National Parks in Scotland.
