Horse trailers and lorries not to be excluded at local beach parking
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LOCAL horse riders have welcomed news that they should be able to continue to enjoy safe off-road riding at Caithness beaches.
Concerns had emerged over information about Highland Council's proposals to enforce parking charges at all car parks with more than 15 bays and to prohibit certain vehicles from parking, including trailers and lorries.
However, local councillor Nicola Sinclair has given assurances that horseboxes will not be among the vehicles under exclusion.
A number of equestrian enthusiasts had contacted her on the matter.
"I'm glad people pointed out the omission with horse trailers in the draft adverts," Councillor Sinclair said. "These are outline proposals for public feedback so it's really helpful to get these suggestions.
"Officers have already confirmed that they will change this before the full consultation launches this month. At that point people should respond through one of the official channels, and raise a formal objection if that's what they want to do.
"We need a big response to ensure we make the right decision in May. Ultimately, the public need to feed back whether they're willing to pay car-parking charges in return for local income. I'll base my vote on the community's response."
Donna Mather, access representative for the local British Horse Society committee, said: "It's not a done deal. Riders will still have to make their concerns known during the public consultation."
A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Part of the purpose of the car-parking pre-engagement is to understand whether there are aspects that should be included in the council’s considerations.
"The council will certainly include horseboxes and trailers for these sites for when they move to public consultation. However, we urge anyone with concerns to make their comments known through the formal consultation process which will be promoted by the council in due course.”
As previously reported, the consultation includes charges for car parks in the area with more than 15 bays which will include the beaches at both Reiss and Dunnet.
