Trailers owner parked them on town street in protest over budgets

THE owner of trailers causing controversy in an Angus street say they were parked there to trigger dialogue over what he has branded a money-wasting council decision to lift double yellow lines.

Montrose residents complained after the two long roll trailers appeared in America Street within days of double yellows being removed. They belong to Rix Shipping, whose boss has criticised a lack of consultation over the change.

Company general manager Mark Cessford has accused the local authority of wasting money and available space by relaxing the parking rules on the wrong side of the street.

The council said the changes were made after consultation as part of an Angus-wide programme of changes around parking restrictions.

Mr Cessford said: “There’s a reason the trailers are there – and it’s not just to be an ass.”

Rix aims to invest more than £1.5 million in the redevelopment of the former Joseph Johnson salmon fishing company buildings which take up the entire length of one side of the street.

Plans lodged with Angus Council include the creation of office, warehousing and car parking for a Rix Renewables operations and maintenance base.

The company hopes the scheme will create around 50 jobs.

However, the listed status of the buildings means dialogue with the council and Historic Environment Scotland is continuing over what form of development will be acceptable in the street close to Montrose harbour.

Mr Cessford said he had been surprised by the decision to ease the restrictions on the side with accesses into the existing buildings, reducing the number of potential parking spaces.

He put the trailers there just after the lines were burned off. “I wasn’t doing it to be difficult,” he said.

“My intention was to bring this issue to the surface and for there to be an explanation of why someone thought there was a justification for the lines to have been removed.

“Vehicles could have parked quite easily on the other side of the street without the risk of being clipped from traffic turning into the accesses.”

Mr Cessford said he would remove the trailers at some point.

“At a time when budgets are being cut and councils are quick to remind us of constraints on the public purse, this seems to have wasted money to achieve less at the end of the day,” he said.

An Angus Council spokesman said: “The changes to the double yellow lines in America Street were implemented as part of Angus-wide alterations to waiting restrictions in 2020 following a full public consultation exercise and subsequent committee approval.”