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Moray’s Active Travel Strategy has ‘no clout’

Councillor John Cowe said it would be 'quite ridiculous' for the dial-a-bus service to be used for patient transport.
Councillor John Cowe said it would be 'quite ridiculous' for the dial-a-bus service to be used for patient transport.

Moray Council’s plans to get people to walk, cycle or use public transport instead of their cars has “no clout”.

Councillors welcomed the new Active Travel Strategy that sets out how the local authority will encourage folk to make more environmentally friendly journey choices at a meeting this week.

But there were concerns some landowners are stalling progress.

Independent councillor for Heldon and Laich John Cowe told the meeting landowners were not willing to work with groups to get routes in place. He added the strategy had “no clout”.

‘No clout’

He said: “Locally We’ve been working for almost 20 years to get an active travel route from Lossiemouth to Hopeman and on to Burghead then Kinloss.

“They’ve been trying time and time and time again to get landowners round the table and discuss a way forward so a route can be built.

“I feel we are stuck in a place where we cannot move forward without the support of Moray Council.”

Mr Cowe put forward a proposal that if a landowner was being resistant, the council could get a public path delineation order so land can be obtained and a pathway built.

Moray Council headquarters.

But legal services manager Aileen Scott told councillors there were problems with the validity of the proposal as it would commit the council to unknown costs.

She said: “What you’re being asked to approve here is the strategy.

“Sitting behind that are various powers as to how these routes are achieved.

“But in individual circumstances, you would need to consider the detail, and the financial implications.”

Juli Harris SNP member for Speyside Glenlivet called for landowners to be made aware of the law relating to public right of way and access.

‘Recalcitrant landowners’

Head of economic and commercial services Nicola Moss offered to meet councillors and community groups to discuss the issues raised.

A motion on the matter is expected to go before the next meeting of the economic development and infrastructure committee.

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