The Herald yesterday revealed that Argyll and Bute Council have had an offer to buy the car park at the foot of the Cobbler accepted. The sum has not yet been disclosed. Unfortunately what should have been good news, bringing a piece of private land into public ownership for the benefit of the public, is anything but.
Argyll and Bute had been leasing the car park and had used their lease to extract money from visitors, both in the form of charges (see here) – £9 for many to walk up the Cobbler – and through the imposition of an extraordinary number of fines (see here). Now they are buying it, the situation may get even worse.
The Herald story was based on a report which is to be considered by the Helensburgh and Lomond Committee of the Council, which covers the Arrochar area, on Thursday (see here). The report is from the Commercial Services section of Argyll and Bute Council and is called “property updates”. It says this about the Cobbler car park and the “tourist” car park at the head of Loch Long:
The car parks, as managed by Argyll and Bute Council, have NOT operated “a valuable public service” in the sense that they have been of any benefit to the public. Argyll and Bute offered no facilities for visitors using the car parks and this summer the local community were forced to step in and provide public toilets at the two of them with financial support from NatureScot (see here). Nor do Argyll and Bute appear to have used any of the income to pay for the continuing problem of marine litter at the head of Loch Long:
But the two car parks have indisputably been very valuable to the Council as a source of revenue. That is why while flogging off other assets, Argyll and Bute wants to acquire this one:
Section 5.2 of the report confirms the Council’s only interest is income and that it has failed to consider its socio-economic duty – the implications for tourism – or equalities – access rights are supposed to be for all and not just those who can afford to pay the Council’s access tax.
Luss Estates’ decision not to renew the lease for the “tourist” car park at the head of Loch Long and tomanage that itself will result in a significant loss of income to the council and already appears to have resulted in a significant drop in fines:
Having decided not to sell the car park at the head of Loch Long and manage it itself, one hopes that Luss Estates is going to be more public spirited than Argyll and Bute Council and not use it as a milch cow for the estate. One hopes too they will not repeat the mistakes they have made at Luss, where their outsourcing of the management of the car parks to Parking Eye has alienated many visitors (as you can see from the comments on my post on parking fines see here).
Given that the services of Parking Eye were dispensed of by the Lake District National Park Authority back in 2012, after concerns about how it was operating (see here), one would have hoped that the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) might have warned Luss Estates about the risks. But the LLTNPA appear too busy arranging with Parking Eye themselves to run an Automated Number Plate Recognition system at their own car parks to have noticed!
There is sadly no evidence that the LLTNPA have taken any interest in the future of the car parks at Loch Long whether to benefit the local community (its sustainable development duty), promote outdoor recreation (fair charges with facilities for visitors) or protect the natural environment (help clear up marine litter). There was no mention either of what has been happening in any of the papers for the Board Meeting that took place on Monday. Whenever leadership might make a difference, the National Park Authority appears to be absent.
Ahm, nope.
You will be paying to park you car, simples.
A bit like if say you drive into Glasgow to partake in leisure.
Perhaps that is to complicated
The two situations are very different. There is lots of public transport into Glasgow so plenty of alternatives to using the car. You can get to and Arrochar by public transport, but its not that easy – younger people who stay in the village can’t go for a night out in Balloch without a car – and basically it doesn’t work for hillwalking or climbing. Other hillwalker car parks in the Highlands may charge say £3 a day, often with facilities, but not £1 an hour without plus the added difficulty that if you expect to be out for say 6 hours and pay £7, if are delayed for some reason you face a £60 fine
This happened to me very recently. Enjoying a walk in Arrochar having paid £5 for 5 hours. We were sadly delayed by 20 minutes as my arthritis in my feet meant I had to stop for pain killers to start working before I could carry on as I was in a lot of pain. We had hoped to have completed the walk within 4 hours but paid for 5 to be on the safe side. I have no problem with paying for parking especially if the revenue is to help with the upkeep of the car park or facilities, but think there should be a longer grace period for those who encounter unexpected delays. We have been ordered to pay £60 within 14 days (but this only gives us 6 days as only just received the notice due to Christmas post) or £100 if within 28 days. Unlikely to be going back to Arrochar anytime soon and we are likely to avoid the areas which are imposing ridiculous car parking charges to walk in and enjoy your own countryside! Think we will stick to car parks operating fairs charges in futures!
A fantastic illustration of why the current regime is so unjust – I am sorry for you: it might be worth writing to Argyll and Bute Council and asking for them to waive the charge. I would be happy to publish the response. Nick
Ahm perhaps we should just take cars off poorer people they shouldn’t be allowed outside other than for collecting our waste anyway that would make it even less complicated away and take a good look at yourself and get someone to give you a good boot up the backside
The Scottish government with their terrible Health statistics should be encouraging people to get fit not allowing fees for parking at any location where healthy activities take place would be a good place to start.
This is a disgrace. But I tell you what else is – last week me and a mate climbed the Cobbler. We filled the car with diesel and can you believe this – the cashier charged us FULL PRICE even after I explained we were going to exercise on the hills!
Your next article should feature why we should get free fuel to travel to these areas
Next time I am not going to give money to these greedy multinationals and instead take one of the dozen glasgow buses that pass each day.
So what do you think a fair charge for a day’s hillwalking should be in a car park a) with facilities like toilets b) without? What do you think would be unfair £20, £30, £50?
The charges should be balanced and proportionate. Personally I would be prepared to pay £5 a day to park my car when I go hill running, hillwalking ,loch swimming etc. However car parks the size of Arrochar and at Luss would still make plenty of money charging a maximum of £5 per day and what’s required is Government legislation to enforce a percentage of car park charges to be invested back into community benefits, say 20% minimum to be spent on provision of facilities and environmental improvements.
Significant elements of Scottish society including many of those in Government roles bang on about how they want the public to be more active and take more exercise and have better mental well being. However many of the actual government policies both locally and nationally are solely based on maximising private profit and cutting local services such as closing libraries and reducing the hours open of sports centres in Glasgow or allowing prohibitive parking charges with no or minimal public transport alternatives as at Arrochar.
Can I turn this discussion on its head and think something that in some moments of righteous indignation appear to have been totally forgotten by district councilors and even by hard pressed rate ( council tax) payers . Is this the unthinkable?
It has long been accepted the that commercial premises should help contribute to the upkeep of the infrastructure required to bring “footfall” to their business. Taxation systems help fund and maintains roads into industrial areas, pavements outside shops, marked areas along roadsides for places for customers to put their “means of transport”. A vast sum of money is extracted annually on a rateable value basis from individuals and businesses within every council area . This tax on ownership is unavoidable.Those people who live near LLTNP ..say Stirling or within the greater catchment of Strathclyde…already pay into the public provision system many times over. Along the way some of the annual property tax burden placed on both rural and urban tax payers goes to provide free access and street lighting etc to permit safe green open spaces , furnish council maintained parks within council areas, maintained set aside places for sports and recreation. So why are councils intent on double charging for something in a rural area when those who live in cities enjoy green space for no extra payment ? Is this not a feature that should already be provided for by levies within commercial and residential bands of rates collected from every commercial operation , cafe, hotel, holiday park and petrol station and home in rural areas? Of not …why not? Local government of Other developed nations around the world do appear to accept the importance of recreational facilities., even play parks and woodland walks within ‘for 2 hour’ motorway parking areas. By keeping access to open spaces for public recreation free from additional cost burdens – but funded entirely through local taxation) they ensure the use of outdoors by anyone for exercise and recreation is as simple as can be, and additional tiers of management to “control” ..say..car park revenues, are unnecessary. This is a national health and ? sanity? benefit.
https://glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=27307
Cost of a car approx 40p per mile so let us say £20 there and another £20 back fae Glasgow.
Now the other way round
Say you want to walk to Cathedral or shops. https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/107671879881365068745/place/ChIJx-wvtSZEiEgRhX0kws0J2S8/@56.7350362,-2.9807712,9z
Jings it’s exactly the same.
I drove through Arrochar a few weeks ago and thought the place looked a wee bit forlorn by comparison with the last time I went through, admittedly some 8 years or so back. The marine litter certainly doesn’t help. The combination of the Council and the fact that this is in a National Park should prompt more action. My memory may be playing tricks on me (or just too many pints in the bothy bar) but you would think that National Park status over the years would have helped directly or indirectly to improve the situation, but it doesn’t seem to have done so. Excessive car parking charges tend to put people off spending more in an area, particularly if they are strapped for cash. £9- the best part of the price of a fish supper at the take away or coffee and cake in the cafe down the road (though I recall that might have closed).
Some people actually want to pay for car parking welcome to Pluto