AN “EXPERIMENTAL” ban on in a single day parking in East Lothian’s coastal automotive parks has been given the go-ahead in a bid to crack down on partying guests.
East Lothian Council’s Labour administration cupboard permitted plans on Tuesday to trial a parking ban at 20 websites, together with one tiny three-space automotive park at Musselburgh which has been listed on a web site as excellent for in a single day stays.
The choice implies that the council will apply for a brief visitors regulation barring autos from parking in its 10 seashore automotive parks, the place individuals are charged a each day fee of £2.50 to park, in addition to an additional 10 free automotive parks recognized as unsuitable for in a single day stays.
Two of the websites – at Belhaven Bay in Dunbar and Whitesands – will trial designated bays for motorhomes or campervans which individuals will have the ability to pre-book by means of a council-run web site, because the native authority explores new methods of coping with elevated guests.
East Lothian has seen a surge in vacationers coming to its seashores and countryside because the Covid-19 pandemic nevertheless it has led to points with fires, litter and human waste.
It’s estimated that about three million individuals now go to the county’s coast yearly, making it essentially the most visited shoreline in Scotland.
READ MORE: Concern over injury to shoreline as giant numbers of seashore guests flout wild tenting guidelines
However a lot of the coast can be designated as areas of particular curiosity, and concern over the influence of heavy visitors has been raised.
A report back to cupboard members mentioned: “Because the starting of the Covid pandemic, coastal automotive parks in East Lothian have seen a substantial improve within the numbers of autos parking in a single day related to guests tenting in and close to seashore areas and within the automotive parks.
“This tenting exercise has precipitated injury to the biodiversity of this protected space by the lighting of fires and barbecues, in addition to producing litter, together with human waste.
READ MORE: Rangers abused as document numbers of tents discovered at East Lothian’s seashores
“There has additionally been a rise within the numbers of campervans and motorhomes parking in a single day at coastal automotive parks relatively than at formal tenting places.
“The council-operated car parks do not have the facilities to support campervans or motorhomes, and damage has been caused by the unlawful emptying of chemical toilets.”
Amongst websites included within the ban are Mountjoy in Musselburgh, which has simply three areas and is listed on web site park4night as a extremely rated free public automotive park; and Pond Corridor, one other small native automotive park in Port Seton.
Councillor Norman Hampshire, council chief, backed the transfer to trial the ban, including that it will enable time to evaluate the influence on the encompassing space and have a look at methods to work sooner or later.
He mentioned: “We welcome tourism that comes from our coastal areas however want to guard them on the identical time.
“We have all seen the abuse that some visitors have caused with overnight partying, litter, fires and broken glass which are left behind.”
