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Part of a municipal car park will be rented despite the lack of public consultation and having been denied twice.
Councillors on the planning committee voted, in opposition to council officials, to grant permission to make plans for a restaurant to be established in April 2021.
Then the assets subcommittee of Perth and Kinross Council voted, in June 2021 and January 2022, not to lease the Rie-Achan Road car park in Pitlochry, much to the sadness of the McCallums, who hoped to open a Thai eating place there in two cars.
At the January meeting, councilors voted 4-3 against delaying a resolution until a parking investigation is conducted. Former Conservative council leader Murray Lyle, who voted against leasing the site, pledged to “work with McCallum’s circle of family to verify to locate an appropriate site in Pitlochry or beyond. “Current SNP council leader Grant Laing funded the rejected amendment to postpone a resolution until an investigation is conducted.
PKC commissioned SYSTRA shipping experts, who then appointed a knowledge company, to adopt the research. Traffic surveys were conducted in March 2022 and July 2022 for comparison.
On Monday, November 14, PKC’s real estate subcommittee was tasked with marketing rental parking for the third time. The officers approved it.
At last Monday’s meeting, Mark Wood, who runs Mackenzie’s Coffee House on Atholl Road, objected to the accuracy of the investigation.
The local businessman said there were “373 puts of the 603 puts known from the survey. “
He noted that the report included personal parking, such as the cooperative’s, and discussed the number of unmarked parking lots on the street.
Wood said challenging parking was a normal challenge on Pitlochry, specifically on a narrower stretch of Atholl Road between East Mill Road and Escape Route where “traffic jams occur”.
He said: “The option of introducing double yellow lines on this stretch of track is being studied. If this is implemented, the lost ones will need to be installed in the city’s car parks that are already close to capacity, according to the report. “
Manager Grant Laing said, “I think the proportion is about one hundred percent or 50 percent. “
Mr. Wood said, “Yes, I totally agree with you. “
SNP advisor Eric Drysdale the “substantial difference of opinion”.
Brian Reid, Director of Resource Management, said: “We have used SYSTRA several times and, to date, they have provided accurate and professional data. We have no doubt that the research data will have to be accurate. “
SNP Bailie Mike Williamson addressed the committee.
He said: “People are very congested on Pitlochry on peak days. It is feared that renting the land in the Rie-Achan car park will shift more traffic to the parking lot on the street. “
Highland Perthshire councillor asked councillors to accept the report’s recommendations: assess the most productive way to increase parking capacity, potentially use parking spaces for coaches and redesign car parking for short-term parking.
He advocated for greater signage and “greater control of existing spaces. “
In a written statement, opposition leader Fiona Hamilton said the investigation is “full of errors. “
Their objections included: “extreme public adequacy and safety,” “lack of consultation,” “lack of transparency and openness,” and “inappropriate use of utility space. “
At the April 2021 planning assembly, when the update in use was first approved, a neighboring resident was prevented from submitting his objection to the committee.
Ms. Hamilton added: “Based on PKC’s local citizen exclusion register, I would expect efforts to keep us informed of any progress in this saga. I only heard about this proposal last week and many citizens will even be aware of it. .
“While it proactively excludes residents, it would be interesting to know how many meetings and discussions have taken place between PKC and any bidder for this site. “
She said the “vast majority” of citizens are “strongly opposed to any plan to allow a place to eat to operate from this car park. “
He added: “No resolution will be taken on this proposal without a full and open public consultation with local citizens on the frontline. “
Potential candidate Mia McCallum (19) hopes to run a Thai restaurant there with Isara.
Papa Fergus told the committee: “The request to make plans won more than objections. We have a four-figure request for the project. “
Cllr Laing reminded councillors that they were being asked to market “any potential advertising user bidding for the lease. “
Councillor Lib Dem Peter Barrett asked what had replaced the reconsideration.
McCallum said he has since bought one from the 1920s and presented new plans that would have a width.
Cllr Barrett advised the work of accommodation, the arrival of the exercise car, and then the return of the site to its previous state could increase.
He said: “You may not be afraid of a £200,000 investment before you even sell a meal and on a 10-year lease it seems like an incredibly difficult proposition to justify financially to make it viable. “
Mr McCallum said: “I have great confidence in my wife and daughter that they will run a successful business. “
Cllr Laing said, “I have already served twice on this committee with other perspectives. I think the replacement for me is to do the parking survey. Before, we only listened to the public. “
He added recommendations for reviewing signage and street parking enforcement.
Councilman Drysdale supported.
Cllr Barrett has tabled an amendment not to market the site for rent. No one supported it and the movement to commercialize it approved.