Luss parking plans 'put village's future in danger'

So says the local landowner, Luss Estates, after the Advertiser reported plans to make residents pay £40 per vehicle for a parking permit.

Following our article in last week's issue reporting concerns in the village, community groups have published an open letter to the council urging them to withdraw their "short-sighted" proposals.

The letter has been signed by the following people:

* Ian McEachern, convener of Luss and Arden Community Council, and members David Pretswell, K. Colquhoun, Alyson Walker, Helen Sinclair and Peter Robertson

* Jackie Baillie MSP, whose Dumbarton constituency includes the village

* Maurice Corry, Conservative MSP for the West of Scotland region

* Stuart Cordner of Cruise Loch Lomond

* James Fraser, chairman of the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

* Sir Malcolm Colquhoun and Simon Miller, chairman and chief executive respectively of Luss Estates Company

* Karen Donnelly of Love Loch Lomond

* James Macrae of the Loch Lomond Rescue Boat

Their letter reads as follows:

"We call upon Argyll and Bute Council to withdraw their short sighted parking proposals for Luss, which will not fix the acute and dangerous traffic congestion constantly facing the village.

"The council's proposals will not secure the future of Luss as a pleasant place to live, visit or work.

"As well as being home to around 120 residents, Luss also welcomes over 750,000 visitors a year. According to VisitScotland statistics this would rank it in the top 10 of Scottish tourist destinations, higher than Stirling Castle, the Falkirk Wheel or Edinburgh Zoo.

"Argyll and Bute Council's proposal to address traffic congestion is to charge residents and visitors to park in the village. The proposal attracts NO support from Luss and Arden Community Council, local MSPs, the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, or local businesses. Argyll and Bute Council's proposals will actually reduce the number of available parking spaces and increase traffic congestion.

"We ask Argyll and Bute Council to reconsider the problems facing Luss and to draw up a new traffic management scheme. Given the level of public discord, proceeding with the formal Traffic Regulation Order process will delay the formulation of an effective solution and waste taxpayers' money."

Luss Estates' chief executive has also spoken in more detail about the council's "misjudged" proposals.

Simon Miller said: “Luss Estates has proposed an alternative plan to the council, based on a model used successfully in many locations in the UK. Residents would have free access to and parking in the village.

“Visitors would park in areas close to, but not in, the heart of the village.

“We have offered the land, and to build a car park.

“It is worth noting here that Luss is a small village and therefore it is a very short distance to walk from this proposed parking site to the heart of the village.”

Parking has been one of the biggest day-to-day concerns for Luss residents for many years, with the narrow streets, lack of pavements and lack of restrictions on visitor cars making access a major headache both for residents and emergency services.

The land which Luss Estates says it is willing to provide for a new car park is located in a field to the south of the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel, near the centre of the village.

Mr Miller continued: “Unfortunately, the council do not appear to be open to any suggestions which deviate from their own misjudged proposal.

“Argyll and Bute Council needs to recognise that Luss has become a major Scottish tourist destination and provision of sufficient, safe parking is essential to service the village.

“With a young family of my own I am acutely aware of the difference in visitor safety between Luss and Stirling Castle, The Kelpies or Edinburgh Zoo, where children are not required to negotiate around hundreds of cars.” 

Mr Miller's concerns have been echoed by the area's MSP, Jackie Baillie, and by West of Scotland MSP Maurice Corry, who is also one of the village's Argyll and Bute councillors.

“It is absurd that Argyll and Bute Council propose a chargeable resident parking permit scheme in Luss,” Ms Baillie said, “and I strongly urge the council to withdraw their parking proposal and engage properly with the community.

“These proposals will not fix the acute problems in Luss, especially when they will not be supported by the constant presence of traffic wardens to enforce them”. 

Mr Corry added: “The council needs to come up with a better plan that seeks to keep visitors’ cars out of the heart of the village. Luss should be a jewel in the Scottish tourism crown, but instead is in grave danger of losing out due to a lack of joined up thinking.”

Concern has also been expressed by James Fraser, chairman of the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, who said: “We have serious reservations about the Argyll & Bute Council proposals, which fall well short of addressing the traffic management and capacity issues in a way that will help ensure Luss continues to thrive as a pleasant place to live, visit or work as well as being the jewel in the crown of Loch Lomond.” 

A council spokesperson said: “Argyll and Bute Council has proactively developed parking and traffic management proposals for Luss which will put residents first, while at the same time supporting local businesses.

“These proposals have been developed following an extensive informal public consultation and are now going through the formal statutory process which is required to produce a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) – the means through which we can enforce parking regulations.

“Nothing has been finalised at this stage. The final plans will be shaped by the feedback to the consultation and determined by the legal processes the council has to follow.

“Our proposals protect parking for residents in the centre of the village by way of a permit scheme. The spaces not occupied by permit-holding residents will be time limited to one hour, giving visitors the opportunity to park in the village for a short-term. This creates good turnover of spaces, which is what we want.

“We are also looking to introduce a 20mph zone throughout the village to ensure effective traffic management, and to introduce charging in the off-street long-stay car park, ensuring it is effectively managed and there are enough spaces there for visitors.

“We cannot restrict access over the public road to residents only. The public are free to exercise their right of access unobstructed unless the road is stopped up or delisted.”