Canal camping pods plan panned by councillors
IF SCOTTISH Canals gets the green light to build six camping pods at Gairlochy, it will result in an unregulated campsite with more problems of noise, anti-social behaviour, and alcohol and substance abuse, according to a community council.
Scottish Canals is seeking planning permission to install the pods along with a services building, but Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council has lodged an objection with Highland Council.
Community council chairman John Fotheringham has told planning officers he and his fellow councillors were unimpressed by the proposed pods and say Scottish Canals already has an unoccupied listed building, namely Telford House, that it previously promised to renovate as a café and bunkhouse.
Mr Fotheringham claims the pods proposal fails to satisfy various planning and tourism policies and believe they would have a detrimental effect on the Caledonian Canal and the iconic Telford House.
Mr Fotheringham informed planning officer Christine Millard: ‘They promote themselves as the guardians of the scheduled monument that is the Caledonian Canal. The local community sees them as opportunistic in their current planning proposal and are failing to adequately protect the very thing they seek to develop.’
He added that posting warning notices was not enough and that Scottish Canals needed to be far more proactive in enforcing rules of behaviour by existing campers.
‘We have a right to expect taxpayer-funded organisations to react positively to complaints and find solutions, but Scottish Canals has demonstrated an inability to take positive action to protect the environment,’ he said.
In its supporting statement to planners, Scottish Canals says it had not been fully aware of the extent of wild camping at Gairlochy and perceived nuisance problems arising from this.
‘There is limited scope to prevent wild camping, although this should not be taking place on the scheduled monument. Scottish Canals envisage greatly improved site management at Gairlochy with the introduction of the pods, stated the organisation.
‘These will reduce the area available to wild campers and there will be a greater staff presence on site.’
As far as Telford House is concerned, Scottish Canals states there are now advanced plans to refurbish the property for use as a bunkhouse with tea room and funding proposals are being finalised.
But Mr Fotheringham dismissed this as a ‘smokescreen’, stating four years have now elapsed since Scottish Canals said it intended renovating Telford House.
‘As a community council we are not opposed to development but believe it has to be one that brings real benefits to our area and this proposal for a virtually unregulated campsite does not fulfil the criteria in the Local Plan,’ he told Ms Millard.
‘The problems of noise, anti-social behaviour and alcohol and substance abuse that have blighted the lives of residents and visitors to date are likely to remain.
‘If Scottish Canals want to genuinely contribute to the economic sustainability of our area then the refurbishment of the existing Telford House is the only viable solution we could support, to provide the accommodation they desire.’
And at its monthly meeting this week, Kilmallie Community Council agreed to support Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council.
Kilmallie council secretary Russell Leaper said he could understand the frustration felt by Mr Fotheringham and his colleagues: ‘There’s still derelict buildings at Banavie. They [Scottish Canals] are wasting a lot of money on this and not looking after their own buildings.’