Members of the parliament's environment and rural development committee narrowly voted 5-4 not to support the general principles of the member's Bill from North Tayside MSP John Swinney.

Members agreed that a strong case had been made for the inclusion of parts of Highland and Eastern Perthshire within the park boundaries, as Scottish Natural Heritage had originally recommended.

However, they concluded that the backbench proposal by the former SNP leader would "not be the most coherent manner" to approach a revision of the boundaries or ensure stable management of the park.

The Bill proposes that Britain's largest national park be expanded further to include the Forest of Atholl, Blair Atholl, the Beinn Udlamain mountain group to the west of the A9, and an area around the A93 including Glas Tulaichean and the Spittal of Glenshee.

Part of the case being pressed by Perthshire campaigners is that Blair Atholl should become the main gateway, rather than Drumochter, into the park, which, at nearly 1,500 square miles, is twice the size of Scotland's only other national park, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

Committee convener Maureen Macmillan MSP said: "Our committee very much welcomes the debate this Bill has provoked, and we acknowledge the passionate arguments made by many people that this area is naturally part of the Cairngorms.

"We have a lot of sympathy with the aim of including Highland and Eastern Perthshire in the Cairngorms National Park. Whether the Bill is the right way to achieve this is hotly disputed and the arguments are finely balanced.

"On balance, the committee has voted to recommend that this Bill should be rejected. However, a review of the operation of the park is due in 2008. We very much welcome the Executive's statement that it expects the review to include consideration of the park boundary.

"The committee strongly and unanimously recommends that the Park boundary should be considered as part of the review process. We look to the Executive to start preparing for this so as to avoid any undue delay and to make sure that the review involves wide public consultation."

However, MSPs meeting in Holyrood later this month could still over-turn the recommendation and vote through the Bill which was introduced in September.

As part of this process, committee members received written and oral evidence from interested parties and held a meeting in Blair Atholl on February 5.

Local conservation groups have called for Highland Perthshire to form part of the national park.

A Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group spokesperson commented: "We have consistently called for the unjustifiable anomaly of the flawed national park boundaries to be addressed.

"We remain disappointed that Highland Perthshire is still outside the park. However, we welcome that this can now be reviewed in 2008.

"BSCG believes there is a strong case for including the whole of the district of Badenoch and Strathspey and the Lochindorb area within a reformed park boundary."

Cairngorms Campaign convener Drennan Watson said he was pleased that the Environment and Rural Development Committee recognised the strength of the case put forward for inclusion of Atholl and associated areas within the park.

He said: "They did not reject the proposal in principle, but rather proposed its incorporation into the wider review process of the park and its functioning in 2008.

"The campaign will be participating fully in that wider review and will return to that issue then."

But current park board member Gregor Rimell, who represents the Badenoch area which includes the gateway at Drumochter, has welcomed the recommendation.

He said it was all very well in theory to draw new lines on a map, but in practice it would entail major upheaval.

He remarked: "Changing the park's boundaries would mean having to overhaul most of the structures put in place already and staff working conditions, which would be a considerable burden.

"It would cost a lot of money and cause much disruption at a time when considerable progress is being made with the Cairngorms National Park Plan and Local Plan which set out the vision for the future of the park."

A spokesperson for the Cairngorms National Park Authority said: "A decision on the boundaries of any Scottish national park is a matter for the Scottish Parliament.

"The CNPA will work with whatever area is included in the park and, as we do now, will endeavour to work across boundaries as appropriate to ensure linkages are made with immediate neighbouring areas."

At the hearing in Blair Atholl, Scottish Executive Ministers said they believe that any consideration of the park's boundaries should be left for the five-year review which is due to begin in 18 months.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Parliament said that a vote on the Bill in Holyrood was expected sometime in the fortnight starting from March 19.

Voting for the status quo were Maureen Macmillan, Alasdair Morrison, Peter Peacock, Nora Radcliffe and Elaine Smith, and the four MSPs in support of the Bill were Alex Fergusson, Rob Gibson, Richard Lochhead and Eleanor Scott.

musgrove_g@spp-group.com

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