Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12547 on 5 December 2022. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

An option for reopening the rail line between Dumfries and Stranraer was assessed as part of the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The outcome of this was that this option did not form part of the strategic transport investment recommendations within STPR2.

Instead, recommendations set out in STPR2 for rail focus on the decarbonisation of the remainder of the network; measures to increase the amount of freight travelling by rail, including on the key routes in South West Scotland serving Stranraer and Dumfries; and on improving connectivity between our major cities.

However, there remains a path for regional or local rail projects to come forward, and Transport Scotland will consider these subject to a strong business case being developed in accordance with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and suitable funding being available.

National Park Authorities are committed to conserving and enhancing natural heritage within Scotland’s National Parks and their decision making has been guided by the National Park aims set out in the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act and the principle set out in section 9 (6) of the Act. As an example of success in conserving and enhancing the natural heritage in the Cairngorms, over 5000ha of new woodland has been established over the last 5 years of which 96% is native and over half by regeneration.

The Scottish Government launched a public consultation in May to look at what people value about National Parks in Scotland and what they should deliver in future – in particular how they can help to protect and restore nature, tackle climate change and promote sustainable land use. This has been followed by a second consultation – organised by NatureScot – on the approach to National Parks in Scotland and the selection criteria for new National Parks. This consultation seeks views on section 9(6) of the Act, how it is applied and whether it is fit for purpose.

Paragraph 9(6) of the National Parks (Scotland) 2000 Act states that, if it appears to the National Park Authority that there is a conflict between the National Park aim set out in section 1(a) (i.e. to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area) and other National Park aims, the Authority must give greater weight to the aim set out in section 1(a).

The National Park Authorities in Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs are required by the Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Park Plan setting out how they will deliver the aims of the National Park collectively in relation to their area. The National Park Plan is approved by the Scottish Ministers.

For example, the current Cairngorms National Park Partnership Plan 2022-2027 is the strategic management plan for the area and provides a strategic policy context for decision making within the National Park. Section 9 (6) of the National Parks (Scotland ) Act 2000 is embedded in the Park plan and its subsidiary documents and it guides decision making within the Park. The National Park Authority can also apply section 9 (6) to individual decisions if it feels the aims are in conflict and greater weight should be given to the first aim.

To date, we are not aware of the UK Government committing any funding for the upgrade of either the A75 or the A77. The UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review (UCR) published its interim findings in March 2021 and identified both the A75 and A77 as critical road transport corridors connecting Northern Ireland with Scotland and England.

At the same time, the UK Secretary of State for Transport announced that a £20m Union Connectivity Development Fund was available for advance design / development on a select number of transport corridors, including the A75. It is not clear if any of that funding has been spent on preliminary work for the A75.

The Final UCR Report was published in November 2021 and recommended that the UK Government commit funding to support the significant upgrade of the A75. The failure to mention the A77 suggests it will no longer be considered a priority for upgrading.

The Scottish Government has had no direct involvement in any scheme to extend the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 73 between Stranraer and Cairnryan. The NCN in Scotland is managed by Sustrans who, as custodians of the NCN, gave intentions to explore improvements to NCN 73 in the south west which are included within Sustrans’ 30 year National Cycle Network Plan. However, the Scottish Government is currently investigating the feasibility of a shared use path south of Cairnryan to the A751 junction from the new Trunk Road active travel budget.

The Scottish Government has funded Sustrans with £10.6 million in 2022-23 (increased from the £4 million award in 2021-22) to undertake National Cycle Network Plan work.

Programme for Government in 2016 and 2017 addressed potential transport issues in South West Scotland and extensive stakeholder engagement was undertaken to inform the South West Scotland Transport Study; the initial appraisal report was published in January 2020, and included 23 recommendations for consideration in Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), including one to develop the Strategic Active Travel Network in the South West of Scotland and better connect communities to key destinations with cycle paths parallel to trunk roads and improvements to the NCN. This intervention is currently subject to detailed appraisal as part of Phase 2 of STPR2.

The Scottish Government has invested over £50m in developing the ChargePlace Scotland Network. We are now working with the private sector to invest a further £60m in coming years. Through our investments, electric vehicle owners in the South of Scotland have access to 590 public charge points, and this number is set to grow significantly through a combination of public and private investment. In the year ahead, the Scottish Government is directly supporting the installation of a further 73 charge points, as set out in the following table.

The Scottish Government has no direct plans at present to extend the National Cycle Network (NCN) route 73. Sustrans manage the NCN in Scotland and have set out ambitions to improve and extend the NCN in their 2018 Paths for Everyone Document. The Scottish Government has funded Sustrans with £10.6 million in 2022-23 (increased from the £4 million award in 2021-22) to undertake this work.

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) recommends creating new and improving existing active travel routes to connect Scotland’s cities, regions and major gateways, using high-quality active travel infrastructure that segregates users from busy roads, but makes use of quiet roads where appropriate. This will support long-distance active journeys, although it is anticipated that most benefit will arise from relatively short journey routes between or within the communities that the network would pass through.

The long-distance active travel network would enhance the existing National Cycle Network to create a strategic national network of active travel routes mirroring in part the Trunk Road and rail networks. The draft STPR2 report was published on 20 January this year for a three month consultation period. Feedback is now being considered and the final report is due later this year.

Programme for Government in 2016 and 2017 addressed potential transport issues in South West Scotland and extensive stakeholder engagement was undertaken to inform the South West Scotland Transport Study; the initial appraisal report was published in January 2020, and included 23 recommendations for consideration in STPR2, including one to develop the Strategic Active Travel Network in the South West of Scotland and better connect communities to key destinations with cycle paths parallel to trunk roads and improvements to the NCN. This intervention is currently subject to detailed appraisal as part of Phase 2 of STPR2.