'Mature conversation' needed on wild parking

A VETERAN Sutherland councillor has called for a "mature conversation" to be held on how to better provide for the increasing number of motorhome and campervan users streaming into the county during the summer, attracted by tourism route NC500.

North, west and central Sutherland representative Linda Munro said the sheer weight of numbers were taking their toll on Sutherland's financially strapped public services, such as the refuse collection and public convenience network.

The issue is one that has come to the fore this summer with a number of residents criticising motorhome users for "wild parking" and leaving a mess behind.

Cllr Munro spoke out after a presentation given at last Thursday's Sutherland County Committee meeting on the economic benefits of tourism.

Councillors were told the county had enjoyed a tourism boom this year with almost 500,000 visitors staying around 1,000,000 nights and spending £99 million locally.

But Cllr Munro said: "Our bins are overflowing and tarmac is being burned up at rate we cannot hope to replace. Chemical toilets are being emptied into public toilets and hundreds of gallons of tap water is used that is free to visitors while we are literally paying for it by the bucket load."

Cllr Munro, a Bettyhill resident, went on to address previous criticism from residents that motorhome users were unwilling to pay for services and did not bring any benefits to the county.

She said it was not fair to blame them for the current situation and pointed to the network of Aires d'Service on the Continent where motorhome users could fill water tanks, empty rubbish, dump grey water and empty toilets.

"The lack of infrastructure is not the fault of campervan owners," she said. "If we had camper van facilities close to restaurants and activities, as they do all across Europe, it would be a much improved situation for locals and tourists. We need to have a well-informed and mature conversation on how we meet the needs of motorhome visitors in a way that adds to the local and Highland economy."

Supporting her north coast colleague, Cllr Deirdre Mackay, East Sutherland and Edderton, said: "Nobody was able to predict the success of NC500 and now we need to catch up fast. It's unfair and incorrect to suggest that all motorhome users don't spend money in Sutherland.

"We also know there's money to be made by providing the facilities that motorhome users require. Visitors will use facilities if they are provided.

"If we look at France, for example; it has more than 2500 well-established Aires d'Service in constant use. People park up, buy from local shops, find somewhere nice to eat and visit local attractions."

Newly appointed committee chairman Richard Gale said: "The issue is that at present we don't have the infrastructure in place to support large numbers of campervans. We have to work with business partners, local communities and development trusts to ensure that we provide the facilities that are needed around the route.

"The council can't do it on its own. We need private investment from business partners to help meet the needs of visitors and, crucially, to protect the environment.

"We also need the Scottish Government to recognise the importance of the roads around the route and to help us financially to upgrade and maintain our roads."

Chris Taylor, regional partnerships director at VisitScotland, said: "The recently announced Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund gives local authorities the opportunity to apply for additional funds to improve areas experiencing pressure on infrastructure which is negatively impacting on local communities.

"We also work closely with the NC500 team along with Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Natural Heritage to jointly support and manage the popular route and highlight the many things there are to see and do in the region."

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