A Scottish Borders National Park may require a special exclusion zone after the community of Newcastleton made it clear it had no wish to be included in any park boundary, and has vowed to oppose the entire concept "in the very strongest terms".
A campaign has been gaining momentum to have 1,375 square kilometres of attractive Borders landscapes, towns and villages [including Newcastleton] designated as a new Scottish national park with claims this would transform the local economy and bring visitors flocking to the area. There is no indication at this time that the Scottish Government would be willing to support the idea.
A feasibility study came up with many positives, and the promoters say the Borders has all the perfect characteristics for a national park - great cultural heritage, marvellous landscapes, wonderful things to visit for tourists and things to do. And on the other hand it struggles with severe socioeconomic problems - local incomes are declining, people are leaving, and there are no good jobs for young people.
But that's certainly not how Newcastleton's community councillors see it, and they have made their forthright views known in a submission linked to the preparation of Scottish Borders Council's second Local Development Plan.
The newly published response from the village, which lies close to the English border and the massive Kielder Forest, warns of dangers they foresee if national park status becomes a reality. They claim a very biased, positive outlook has been presented by the campaigners.
"Newcastleton & District Community Council (NDCC) do not believe this to be the case particularly given our knowledge of local issues and challenges which already impact on our small rural and isolated community and are previously highlighted", says the submission.
"Creating a national park linked to tourism will not help deliver that aim. Newcastleton wishes to retain its young people ensuring we continue to grow and develop with thriving local amenities. Whilst investment in new assets will be for the wider community, any assets must also enhance our tourism proposition helping to attract more markets throughout the year.
"This approach, led successfully by The Newcastleton Business Forum and Newcastleton Community Development Trust, has done much to ensure assets are developed to meet this aim. Constraining or inhibiting this strategy in any way imposing barriers to investment, development or slowing major capital infrastructure projects like R100 (digital broadband) and transport networks, will impact on the community development plan and ultimately our fragile economy."
NDCC believes that by investing in their own tourism assets and marketing them successfully they will grow the local economy faster and without constraint.
"We want NO BARRIERS to obstruct us in our ambitions. One size does not fit all and having a ‘brand’ or an umbrella under which we all belong will do nothing for attracting new markets. Visitors come for an ‘experience’ and then talk about it, via social media. This makes it affordable for individual business to market themselves and for communities like ours to build a brand that fits our place NOT have to work to fit a regional or national strategy that has no significance to us.
"Having a National Park will not enhance our marketing message, if anything, it puts everything on the same page; ‘Newcastleton, part of the Scottish Borders National Park’ has no point of differentiation to any other place within the national park, where is the value in that?"
Newcastleton's community representatives declare they firmly believe that budgets would be better invested in new assets like extending dark sky status, which would have a wide-reaching benefit to many, rather than geographically ring fencing a large swathe of landmass and marketing it under one brand, limiting investment and stifling opportunity.
Reports backing the national park have pointed to a potential 20% rise in property values with the status. Newcastleton is not impressed!
"The complete lack of impact from this on local wages and home ownership is breath taking in its arrogance and assumption that this is a benefit to all. Our community, along with many other rural remote communities in the Scottish Borders, is struggling to keep our young people. Imposing barriers to home ownership – which is one of the attractions to make them stay currently – cannot be countenanced."
"Budget needs to be directed to address this issue so that new enterprises can be encouraged and remote rural locations like Newcastleton can attract new ‘home business’ markets which will add real benefit to our local economy. Increasing the cost of entry to owning a house locally by 20% only benefits the current homeowner, it takes no account of the next generation of homeowners which we are striving hard to retain."
The community councilis clear in its conclusions, stating: "NDCC continues to object to the proposed National Park in the very strongest terms. Newcastleton does not wish to be included in any park boundary which has the potential to constrain us and stop us delivering our ambitions for the community. We firmly believe that the park will slow investment and development and we cannot afford for either to be a factor in our future."
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