Overnight stays for campervans and motorhomes in Moray may be in line for a shake-up, it has been confirmed.
Moray Council will consult local communities on proposals to manage overnight stays on designated council-owned sites.
The authority has revealed a list of nine locations that could be in line for the new sites with Lossiemouth and Buckie included.
The proposed scheme aims to provide short-stay, on-the-go overnight parking options, which they argue will support “sustainable tourism”, while ensuring community concerns are addressed.
There have been various concerns about the amount of motorhomes causing congestion in Moray, including on the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, as well as the A95 in Speyside.
In July last year, Moray Council banned overnight parking and camping at Alice Littler Park in Aberlour. The measure was described as being “anti-tourist” by some.
A report has outlined the current situation and recommended engaging with communities to gather feedback on the benefits and risks of the scheme and understand how such a scheme should be managed.
Provisional sites in the following locations have been put forward for consideration:
- Aberlour
- Ballindalloch
- Buckie
- Burghead
- Craigellachie
- Cullen
- Forres
- Lossiemouth
- Portgordon
However, the Moray community is encouraged to suggest alternative locations as part of the consultation.
The consultation will ask for views from local residents, businesses and community groups before any final decisions are made on the scheme.
‘We recognise the growing popularity of campervan travel’
Moray Council’s economic development and infrastructure services committee Councillor Marc Macrae said: “Tourism plays a key role in Moray’s economy and we recognise the growing popularity of campervan and motorhome travel.
“This consultation will allow us to explore how we might provide suitable overnight parking locations and allow us to understand the views of the local communities before any decision is made.”
Controversy was caused in the Highlands last year, when Highland Council introduced a new voluntary scheme for all campervan and motorhome users.
For a fee of £40, users are able to sign up for the seven-day membership.
Visitors have access to benefits that support continued improvements to services, such as public toilets.
However, some Highland campsite owners were “absolutely livid” about the changes.
They said they could not directly compete with the local authority.
Do you think the locations listed above would benefit from overnight campervan sites? Let us know in the comments below.
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