Caithness Area Committee of Highland Council To Discuss Parking Charges for Motor Homes

29th October 2021

The committee will discuss a paper Visitor Management Car Parking & Motorhome Provision at its online meeting on 3 November 2021.

Initially the charging scheme will be voluntary -As with Council-owned sites, there will be no enforcement of charges until such time in the future that a full common good consultation and Traffic Regulation Order amendment are carried out if so decided.

The Council approved a £1.5m Visitor Management Strategy at its meeting on 4 March 2021 in response to the increased numbers of tourists visiting the Highlands. The strategy recognised that there was a need to invest in infrastructure and council services to improve the visitor experience, and to address some of the issues arising from over-crowding in popular hotspots, including insufficient parking areas, bad/inconsiderate parking and consequential damage to roadside verges.

£250,000 from the Visitor Management Fund was allocated for improvements to parking management comprising installing charging at tourist dominated sites, improved signage, lining, minor repairs and increasing staff resources.

A cross -service working group was subsequently convened to produce a Visitor Management Plan to implement the strategy which was approved by the Tourism Committee on 21 April 2021. This included the rollout of Invitation to Pay (ITP) at agreed council off-street car parks subject to local Member approval.

The full committee papers can be seen HERE