A landowner at an historic harbour in Aberdeen has this weekend put in place four “eyesore” boulders as part of his ongoing efforts to prevent a local community – which has been using the site for fishing for hundreds of years – from storing their boats on his land.
Pralhad Kolhe, a consultant plastic surgeon who owns some of the bay at Cove Harbour, had earlier this year put out an order to the owners of the traditional fleet of vessels to move their boats from the spot, where north-east families have fished undisturbed for centuries.
Mr Kolhe, who lives in the large white house overlooking the harbour, has also previously posted red warning signs on vehicles parked in the area, threatening owners who parked on his land with towing at their own expense.
And on Saturday the surgeon – who is currently in early legal proceedings with the Cove Fishermen’s Association, which represents the around ten boat owners at the site – has paid for four obstructive boulders to block vehicular access to the pier.
Jim Adam, the chairman of the Cove Fisherman’s Association, said: “He’s put them there with the reasoning that he’s going to repair the pier, but it all looks a bit ominous with respect to the ongoing threat of eviction from the harbour.
“The owners think this is absolutely diabolical.”
Concerns raised about the safety of erecting the rocks in the middle of an unlit road which has for years been used by fishermen, divers, and occasionally emergency services seem to have been tackled by covering them with splashes of white paint, wrapping them in black and yellow tape and even binding a high-visibility vest to one of the stones in an effort to make them more visible at night.
Fred Cargill, a retired stonemason who has lived in Cove his whole life, said: “The boy’s thrown his toys out the pram to try assert his authority over the place.
“He’s got loads of money, but all the fishermen have had to club together all their money to fight the legal battle. It’s like Samson and Goliath.
“This area of Cove is meant to be a conservation area – how can he suddenly plant an eyesore like that in the middle of it?”
Mr Kolhe declined to comment yesterday.