Nairn campsites raise concerns over new Highland motorhome parking scheme

Nairn campsite owners are raising concerns over a voluntary new motorhome parking scheme introduced by Highland Council this summer.

At a cost of £40 per weekly pass, the scheme allows overnight parking from 10pm to 8am at designated car parks across the region – including the Nairn Harbour car park – with free daily access to showering and changing facilties in any High Life Highland leisure location.

The initiative aims to address concerns about increasing numbers of tourists using local infrastructure, but has seen a negative response from the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (Scotland), with Nairn campsite owners also sharing their views.

Ewan McConnachie, owner of Barrow Camping & Caravan site at Kinchyle Farm between Nairn and Clephanton said he is very much against the scheme.

He said: “I feel it’s very shortsighted of the Highland Council. This is essentially acting against local campsites and potentially taking business away from local campsites.

“There’s also been a lot of complaints over the years from various locals and visitors saying they simply can’t park at the harbour due to the amount of campervans that are parking there - some of which are also potentially leaving waste at the harbour.

“It takes a huge amount of work to set up a camping site. We have to follow safety rules, and have a licence from Highland Council to have a campsite here.

“As an independent, family-run campsite we already have a challenge of essentially fighting for business against the large, multinational companies. To have our local council fighting for business, is making it even harder.”

Parkdean Resorts, which operates Nairn Lochloy Holiday Park as well as Grannie’s Heilan’ Hame Holiday Park near Dornoch, is also up in arms about the proposals, saying it ”sets apart” local authority spaces from the regulations that all other holiday park operators must adhere to.

A spokesperson for Lochloy said: “We’d like to see a wider consultation into these proposals so we can be sure any new areas follow the same regulations around safety, security and protection of the environment as other sites.”

The British Holiday and Home Parks Association (Scotland) has written to Highland Council to raise its concerns.

According to the association, Scottish Government guidance states that units should be not less than six metres apart in order to help avoid the spread of fire but “motorhomes will not be properly distanced from each other at council car parks.”

It also said that “with no proper facilities for motorhome car park users to discharge waste” an environmental hazard could be created by the dumping of effluent in the countryside.

Although he did not comment on the response to the scheme, saying he was not aware of the letter to the council and the concerns mentioned above, Nairn and Cawdor councillor Michael Green, said the area committee is currently undertaking a review of car parks in Nairn – including the site at the harbour – with the first results expected to be shared in August.

He said concerns raised by local campsite providers will be used to inform this review.

A Highland Council spokesperson said: “Earlier this year, the public, partners, and The Highland Council’s staff were invited to take part in a survey and share suggestions ahead of the Council’s budget for 2024/25. Emerging themes from the public engagement highlighted that people understood the need to raise income generation, with the most common suggestion to do so through campervans and motorhomes. A proposal to introduce a charging scheme for Campervans and Motorhomes was approved by Members of The Highland Council at its Budget meeting on Thursday 29 February 2024.

“The Council is in the process of updating signage at the 12 overnight carparks included in the scheme which will including messaging within parking bays that indicate which bays are for overnight parking. This signage and messaging in the bays will apply a 4m distancing for overnight parking. The messages on signs will highlight the use of these bays only for overnight parking. Vehicles using the Council’s 12 overnight carparks must be self-contained.”

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