MSP Edward Mountain says Highland Council sold ‘less than 40’ campervan and motorhome scheme passes describing it as ‘madness’
Highland Council has sold “less than 40” passes for its campervan and motorhome scheme, a north MSP revealed last night.
Critics say the scheme may do more harm than good to the local authority’s attempts to generate revenue.
The scheme is voluntary, offering the use of 12 council-owned car parks for overnight stays as well as access to High Life Highland facilities for washing for £40 a week - but waste disposal is not included.
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Local campsite operators say it is risking their livelihoods due to diminished bookings and reservations.
Pressure is growing on the council for a “rethink” with Conservative MSP Edward Mountain saying: “Going into competition with these businesses is madness especially as to date, six weeks into the scheme, they have sold less than 40 permits.”
The council which, like other local authorities around Scotland, is struggling to deal with mass tourism that is putting a significant strain on its resources – chiefly the roads budget – prompting the plan in the first place.
It was agreed by councillors in the February budget but at the time there were little details and concerned operators say there was next to no consultation before it was implemented. However, a meeting between operators and the council is now scheduled for this Thursday.
“The council introduced this scheme without speaking to local businesses,” said Mr Mountain, who represents the Highlands and Islands. “The fact that there is no enforcement means no one knows how much this scheme is being used without anyone paying.
“There seems to be near universal disapproval of this scheme. I believe the council should accept this was an ill-conceived and unworkable idea and stop it now before it damages the existing campsites.”
Darren Redfern runs the Dornoch Caravan and Camping Park with his wife Lynn said that competition could have a negative effect not just on his business but on money that could come into the council and the common good fund.
He estimated that they pay about £40,000 in rent to the Dornoch Common Good Fund and £21,787 in business rates. That is around £5150 a month.
Mr Redfern said: “We willingly accept that we have to pay these bills but it does not make sense that the Highland Council is now competing against us. There are no such ‘car parks’ in Dornoch but we will keep working hard to keep it away from our doorstep.
“In previous summers we were site-full for four weeks, this summer we were site-full for just two-and-a-half weeks. That is a huge loss while the rent we pay and business rates, which went up last year, remain unchanged.”
With the council offering overnight car park stays between 22.00 and 08.00, parking enforcement is operational between 08.00 and 22.00 leading Mr Redfern: “Is that going to be enforced? And if so, by whom, and when, and what is the penalty?”
Highland Council refused to confirm how many passes had been sold and a spokesperson said the scheme was developed after consulting “the public, partners, and Highland Council staff” which called for income generation “through campervans and motorhomes”.
“The council is in the process of updating signage at the 12 overnight car parks included in the scheme which will include messaging within parking bays that indicate which bays are for overnight parking.
“This signage and messaging in the bays will apply a 4m distancing for overnight parking. The messages on signs will highlight the use of these bays only for overnight parking. Vehicles using the council’s 12 over night carparks must be self-contained.”
Sarah Allanson is the British Holiday and Home Parks Association’s (BH&HPA) director for Scotland and Northern Ireland representing owners and managers of 3000 parks around the UK.
She said the association continues “to remain deeply concerned about the ongoing issues from the Highland Council’s Motorhome Scheme related to fire risk, waste disposal, and the lack of consultation with local businesses.
“Despite our repeated attempts to engage with the council on these critical matters, their response has been less than receptive.
“It comes as no surprise to us that the council has struggled to sell voluntary passes, which clearly indicates that their approach is not addressing the core problems. The lack of proper monitoring of these overnight parking zones exacerbates these challenges.
“BH&HPA firmly believe that councils should be working to promote and support local enterprises, not create a strategy that inadvertently competes with them. These measures are continuing to negatively impact our members’ occupancy.”
Highland Council refused to confirm how many passes had been sold and a spokesperson said: “Earlier this year, the public, partners, and the Highland Council’s staff were invited to take part in a survey and share suggestions ahead of the Council’s budget for 2024/25.
“Emerging themes from the public engagement highlighted that people understood the need to raise income generation, with the most common suggestion to do so through campervans and motorhomes.
