Parking restrictions for Dornoch Beach Car Park

At today’s Caithness & Sutherland Area Committee, Members agreed to raise a Road Traffic Order to prevent overnight parking in Dornoch Beach Car Park.

The move comes following concerns from the community that vehicles were parking for extended periods of time in this popular car park which gives people access to the award winning beach and the North Links path network.
The main concern was that as there are no facilities on site, this could lead to a potential for pollution of the local scenic area.

In September last year The Highland Council agreed the removal of “No Parking Overnight” signs following a decision by Transport Scotland to remove signs from all Trunk roads following legal advice.  Councillors were advised that if specific locations were having any issues, the option was available to make an application for a Road Traffic Order.

Chairman of the TECs Committee and local Councillor, Graham Phillips said:  “This is a resolution to a particular local issue where residents were being denied access to their local beach.  The Council decided a year ago to the widespread removal of the signs following legal advice. However a year on, we are conducting a review of the impact of this decision since there may be a few locations where Road Traffic Orders are needed. We want to give the message to all visitors, particularly those travelling in caravans and motorhomes, that the Highlands is a welcoming and hospitable place but we ask them to respect the communities they visit, particularly in terms of litter and waste disposal.”

 ENDS