Harris. Photo: Simaron

A conservation charity today welcomed the move by the inhabitants of Harris towards turning the area into a national park.

As we reported, almost three-quarters of those who voted in a poll said Harris should become a national park. The John Muir Trust says it will support the people’s decision.

A steering group set up to look at the possibility of pursuing national park status said such a move would bring marked economic benefits to the Hebridean island, which for years has been subject to depopulation, declining school numbers and limited job opportunities.

The JMT, named after the Dunbar-born pioneer of national parks, and which works closely with the community in North Harris, said national park status would be recognition of the island’s spectacular natural beauty.

Mick Blunt, JMT area manager for the Western Isles, said: “This has been a remarkable grass roots initiative and marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of national parks in Scotland.

“For the first time a community has taken the initiative rather than the Government deciding which area deserves greater protection.

“The careful, impartial and balanced way the whole process has been handled by the people of Harris, including the North Harris Trust, has been an object lesson in how community consultation should be done. Government agencies, local authorities and organisations working in the Highlands and Islands could learn much about working with communities by studying the approach taken in Harris.”

Scotland already has two national parks, covering just over seven per cent of its area and there are a further 11 in England and Wales.

The 22,250 ha (55,000-acre) North Harris Estate was bought in 2003 by the local population for £4.5 million with a £1.6 million grant from the Scottish Land Fund and £400,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s Community Land Unit.