Permission granted for Etape stalls

Etape organisers have been granted permission to continue to host their market stalls in a Pitlochry car park for the next three years.

The decision was made at a special licencing meeting yesterday, allowing the annual cycling event to continue its catering stalls on Atholl Road.

At last year’s event residents of the adjacent Elm Court contacted police throughout the weekend with complaints surrounding noise and carers being unable to access the sheltered housing.

The new organisers had applied to PKC’s licencing committee for a three-year market operating deal to allow them to run four catering stalls in the car park.

Cllr Xander McDade represented Elm Court resident Eric Grierson, who wrote to PKC to object to the licence, and told the committee there were concerns over noise.

The applicant highlighted a number of measures taken to reduce the noise.

A spokesperson said:“The generators at the four stalls will all be encased, the generators would be moved to the other side of the car park and screens and barriers would be in place to deflect the noise away from Elm Court.”

The organisers had also prepared a noise management plan, leading committee members to unanimously grant the licence.

After the meeting Cllr McDade said: “The one-year option would have allowed us a lot more control.

“Residents will be disappointed but I’m very hopeful that the event will be moved to the recreation park in future.”