The backing of the Scottish Parliament's rural development committee means that the park could be created before next May's Holyrood elections.

Deputy Rural Development Minister Allan Wilson had to face down a rebellion from the backbenchers.

I am aware that we have not been able to accommodate everyone who wishes to be in the park

Allan Wilson Deputy minister

He said that he would not have time to come forward with new a plan for the park before May if the present boundaries were rejected.

He also warned that the creation of the park plan would be delayed by up to a year.

However, the committee also approved a Scottish National Party amendment expressing regret at the exclusion of Highland Perthshire from the park.

And MSPs agreed to seek a 90-minute debate on the executive's plans when the matter comes before the full parliament.

The rural development committee approved the new boundaries by nine votes to two.

Awkward choice

The park will stretch from Grantown-on-Spey in the north to the Angus Glens and the Drumochter Hills.

Most MSPs wanted the Perthshire Hills to be included.

However, they were faced with an awkward choice - vote against the executive's boundaries or see the park plans postponed beyond the May elections.

The lack of justification is understandable because there is no reasoned justification for the exclusion of Perth and Kinross

Roland Bean Perth and Kinross Council

Mr Wilson said he appreciated that there was anger within Perth and Kinross about the executive's decision.

"I am aware that we have not been able to accommodate everyone who wishes to be in the park.

"Determining the exact boundary is, at the end of the day, a matter of judgement, but what I have sought to do is create a park that will make a difference and which has a distinctive identity," he said.

Perth and Kinross Council's head of forward planning, Roland Bean, told of the local authority's dismay at being left off the map.

He said: "The lack of justification is understandable because there is no reasoned justification for the exclusion of Perth and Kinross."

Planning powers

SNP leader John Swinney, whose Tayside North constituency takes in the section left out of the park, said those in the area felt cheated.

He said: "These people are totally and utterly dispirited by the fact that in the face of all logic, the government is saying 'you're not getting in'."

The Liberal Democrat Mike Rumbles was also unhappy about the decision to share the planning powers and the ranger service with the four local authorities involved.

He won a vote pressing for a full debate in parliament before the plans for the Cairngorms National Park are finally approved.