Landowners with spare land are being invited to open it up to campervans, motorhomes and caravanners.
Along with businesses and communities, landowners are being encouraged by Argyll and Bute Council to sign up to a new scheme.
It will allow them stay on their land for up to five nights, with landowners likely to make upwards of £5 per vehicle per night.
Motorcaravan overnight parking areas, or Aires as they are also known, are set up on private land, such as a field or private car park, and provide a safe place for a maximum of five motorcaravans to stop for the night.
Low cost to set up
The council has calculated that landowners could charge upwards of £5 per night, and that the same people are likely to spend £47 in the local area.
Someone renting out five plots a night for half the year could potentially earn £4,550.
More could be charged depending on the services that are offered. The council also suggests more could be charged to others who want to use the Aires services but not stay overnight.
This would include services such as the disposal of chemical toilets, or water refuelling
Overnight parking areas are popular throughout Europe and are considered a convenient en-route stopover rather than a holiday destination or for a longer stay.
Overnight parking can be relatively low-cost to set up and can be available all year round, or for shorter seasonal periods.
Because motorcaravans are self-contained, there is no requirement to provide onsite facilities such as toilets, showers or electric hook-ups.
Councillor Robin Currie, the council’s policy lead for the economy and rural growth, said: “More than 16,000 new motorcaravans were registered in the UK between July 2020 and June 2021 but, although there are more vehicles on the road, the services to accommodate safe overnight parking have not developed at the same pace.
“This is something we witnessed this first hand over the summer months, with many motorcaravans owners resorting to parking in unsuitable places.”
“Motorcaravan overnight parking can help reduce this by giving these motorists the opportunity to stop in a safe place and get their head down for the night, before moving on.”
Anyone interested in making some extra income and providing a safe overnight stopover for motorcaravans, visit motorcaravan overnight parking at argyll-bute.gov.uk, for more information.
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