Campsite and caravan park owners in the Highlands are fighting back after what they describe as a series of “damaging decisions” by the local authority, which they say will force businesses to close.
They claim that since Covid, Highland Council has become a de facto competitor, opening up public car parks for overnight stays and spending millions to provide free or low-cost facilities close to their sites.
Lynn and Darren Redfern, who own Dornoch Caravan and Camping Park, say they “can’t compete with free”.
Now they, and other park owners, plan to establish a formal action group to stand up for their interests.
Mr Redfern said the issues date back to 2021 when the Highland Council first opened up their car parks to overnight motorhome parking.
“We told them a lot of these car parks are close to camp sites and it’s going to be very bad for us, please don’t do it, but they ignored us,” he said.
The council then introduced a £40 seven-day pass which allowed access to its car parks and other facilities. However, the pass was described as “voluntary” and take-up was poor.
Disillusion and frustration among park owners
Meanwhile, a multi-million-pound Scottish Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund was made available to community groups and not-for-profits to provide visitor infrastructure.
“All of a sudden these waste and water points were appearing everywhere as well as schemes where people could park as long as they could give a donation,” the Dornoch park owner continued.
“They don’t have any of the rules and regulations or any of the health and safety that caravan parks have to abide by.
“We can’t compete with free. Now there’s a tourist tax coming on top and this has been done without speaking to any caravan parks.”
Ann Edwards, who runs Camping Pod Heaven and Camping at Golspie, says campsite and caravan park owners need to organise urgently.
She says the newly proposed visitor’s levy of 5% on accommodation, will have repercussions for local businesses.
“Many parks are feeling increasingly underrepresented in the decision-making processes concerning their industry,” she added.
“Park operators are feeling left in the dark and powerless to stop the damaging decisions being taken at a higher level which directly affect their businesses and very livelihood.
“This has led to disillusion and frustration among park owners. To put it simply – we’ve had enough!”
The park owners are calling on fellow operators to attend upcoming scoping meetings and unite in a collective effort.
The aim is to establish a group that can stand up for their businesses, push for fair representation, and ensure that their voices are heard when decisions are being made.
Scoping meetings planned
The deadline for public consultation on a visitor levy scheme in the Highlands is March 31 and the park owners believes a formal action group will give them more clout.
The meetings will take place on:
- Wednesday, February 5 at 2pm at Wick Assembly Rooms
- Thursday, February 6 at 10am at Spectrum Centre in Inverness
- Thursday, February 6 at 3pm at McPhail Centre in Ullapool
- Friday, February 7 at 2pm at An Drochaid in Fort William
“Each site when looked at individually may seem insignificant,” said Mr Redfern, “but together we are a very significant group and one which should not be so easily overlooked.
“We want to raise the profile of campsites and make Highland Council and other organisations realise how valuable we are to the economy.”
Highland Council response
In response, a Highland Council spokesperson said “engagement was undertaken” before it established 12 sites in 2022, which are included in the voluntary Highland Campervan and Motorhome Scheme.
They added: “Highland Council encourages visiting campervans and motorhomes to stay in the region’s excellent campsites for the most comfortable experience.
“Supporting the Highland Campervan and Motorhome Scheme through the purchase of a seven-day voluntary pass will enable improvements to services such as public toilets and wastewater infrastructure.”
Meanwhile, the public can give feedback in a consultation on the Highland Visitor Levy.
“We greatly encourage everyone, including businesses, community groups and visitors, to share their views with us,” added the spokesperson.
“A series of engagement events will be taking place in various locations across Highland.”
Conversation