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Agencies pledge to work together to reduce effect of ‘devastating road closures’ on Moray village

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead met police and local business owners in Tomintoul to listen to the effect road closures had on the village.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead met police and local business owners in Tomintoul to listen to the effect road closures had on the village.

Roads agencies have pledged to work together to reduce the “devastating” impact roadworks have on peak tourist seasons.

Some businesses in Tomintoul reported a 50% drop in takings during a closure of the A939 Lecht road last summer.

The road was shut for more than a week in June last year as motorists were diverted away from the village – drawing thousands of pounds from the region.

Yesterday Moray and Aberdeenshire councils met police, businesses and MSP Richard Lochhead to plan better arrangements for the future.

Jon Polak, owner of gift shop Spindrift, only found out about the closure in the summer after spotting a post on social media

two days before it happened.

He said: “When it’s shut for the length of time that it was it has a devastating effect on a place like Tomintoul. The people just don’t come.

“It’s essentially a country road but it’s a major route for tourists and we rely on that trade coming through. Businesses were down by half on the previous week.”

Concerns have also been raised about emergency closures on the road due to bad weather.

Ron Hughes, chairman of Kirkmichael and Tomintoul Community Asssociation, explained a lack of communication between the neighbouring Moray, Aberdeenshire and Highland authorities had led to delays in traffic resuming again.

He said: “I’ve gone out before thinking the snow gates are open only to get there and find they are shut. That’s a typical problem.

“Communication between different areas is a problem but I’m confident it’ll improve in the future.”

Mr Lochhead said: “It was invaluable to get everyone in the same room at the same time to explore the issues. An agreement will be drawn up to outline key principals that should be followed to avoid a repeat of problems from the past.”

Inspector Grant McCutcheon said: “We’re going to listen carefully to what’s been said and consider the ideas proposed to find better ways of doing it. With the snow gates we can look at ways of getting them open quicker once the weather has improved.”

Aberdeenshire Council’s Marr roads manager Ralph Singleton said: “We are developing a new protocol to allow enhanced consultation when a significant road closure with community-wide impact is being planned.”