Haveasay onboozelaw

A consultation on proposed amendments to the laws around drinking alcohol in public is now live on Stirilng Council’s Engage Stirling online platform.

Views are being sought on proposed changes to the Stirling Council Prohibition of Drinking of Alcohol in Public Places Byelaw, which seek to extend the area covered by the byelaw in the Callander area, and add to the wording of the existing byelaw by including the offence of having an open container of alcohol in a designated public place.

The byelaw was first introduced in Stirling in 1998 to prohibit the consumption of alcohol in a list of defined public places. This list has been amended and expanded over the years.

The byelaw is enforced by Police Scotland with offences being reported to the Procurator Fiscal for decisions on prosecution.

It is proposed that the byelaw will be extended to include the Invertrossachs Road/South Loch Venachar area of Callander, a map of which can be viewed on the consultation page on Engage Stirling.

Under the byelaw, it is currently an offence to consume alcohol in a designated public place but this is only enforceable by police officers who witness individuals in the actual act of consuming alcohol.

Police Scotland have requested the changes following a reported increase in wild camping an associated anti-social behaviour last summer.

The consultation is open to comments and feedback until April 16.