Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park are set to undertake significant rural development under a new proposed five year plan
A new development has been initiated to combat the problems of an aging population and declining local economies within the National Park. The lack of industry within the park had led to a reduction in the number of people of ‘working age’ and an increase in people of retirement age. The proposed rural development hopes to bring more employment to the National Park to stimulate the local economy.
A base for commuters to the city
This National Park has been selected for this development due to its locality to major cities such as Glasgow, to make the area more attractive for commuters to the city. The National Park is designated a national scenic area for Scotland, which poses additional problems as the development must be carefully designed to prevent any major impact on the natural beauty of the area. As a result of this an extensive public consultation has been launched to bring in the views of the current residents to ensure the local culture is not affected.
James Stuart, Managing Director of Entrepreneurial Scotland, said: “The National Park is a truly special place and this plan proposes how we along with a wide range of other organisations, can work together over the next five years to look after, enhance and make the most of it. By working collaboratively with all of our partners we can achieve a much greater impact.
“The focus is on big priorities for action that are most likely to make a lasting difference to the area, its communities, the people who visit and to the Scottish economy.
“This is an exciting time for the National Park and we want people to get involved in planning the future of the area by telling us what they think of the vision set out in this draft plan.”
The proposed consultation can be viewed online and responded to from 10 April – 3 July 2017.
