The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Car park saga goes on as section up for lease
Part of a council car park will be marketed for lease despite a lack of public consultation and having twice previously been refused.
Councillors on Perth and Kinross Council’s planning committee voted against the recommendation of council officers to grant planning permission for a restaurant to be established on the site in April 2021.
The council’s property sub-committee then voted – in June 2021 and January 2022 – not to lease Pitlochry’s Rie-Achan Road car park site, much to the disappointment of the McCallum family, who had hoped to open a Thai restaurant in two train carriages there.
Train buff Fergus McCallum planned to open the Wee Choo with wife Isara and daughter Mia in two Great Western Railway carriages overlooking the Highland Main Line.
After that meeting Mr McCallum said: “It was not the decision I expected.”
At the January meeting councillors voted by four votes to three against deferring a decision until a parking survey was done.
The council commissioned transport consultants SYSTRA, who then appointed a professional data company to undertake the survey.
Traffic surveys were done in March and July for comparison.
On Monday, the council’s property sub-committee was asked, for the third time, to market the car park site for lease. Officers recommended it for approval.
On Monday objector Mark Wood, who runs nearby Mackenzie’s Coffee House on Atholl Road, questioned the accuracy of the survey.
The businessman claimed there were “373 spaces compared to the 603 spaces identified by the survey”.
He highlighted the report included privately-operated car parks, such as the Co-op’s.
Mr Wood said problem parking was a regular issue in Pitlochry, particularly on a narrower stretch of Atholl Road between East Moulin Road and Escape Route where “jams often occur”.
Convener Grant Laing said: “I find it strange the report would be about 100% out or 50% out.”
SNP councillor Eric Drysdale queried the
“substantial difference of opinion”.
Resource management service manager Brian Reid said: “We have used SYSTRA a number of times and – to date – they have always provided professional and accurate information.
“We don’t have any doubt the survey information should be accurate.”
In a written statement, objector Fiona Hamilton also claimed the survey was “full of errors”.
Her objections included: “extreme risks to public health and safety”, “lack of
consultation, “lack of transparency and openness”.
Councillor Barrett tabled an amendment not to market the car park site for lease.
No one seconded it and the motion to market it was approved.