Lurking within tent banned on Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond

Published on Wednesday 23 June 2010 20:48

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to ban camping on the banks of Loch Lomond has been approved by the board of the national park authority.

• Charles Rutherford and son Rory enjoy a legitimate site on the east shore of Loch Lomond. 'Wild camping' will be banned under a by-law approved by the national park authority. Picture: Dan Phillips

Under the new by-law, voted through yesterday, anyone caught "wild camping" in a nine-square-mile restricted zone could be fined 500.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority believes the new law, the first of its kind in Scotland, is needed to combat vandalism caused by young people flocking to the area during the summer and wreaking havoc.

During an average August, as many as 500 vehicles and tents set up camp in the area, according to the authority.

Unruly visitors regularly leave piles of rubbish, tents and even burned-out vehicles. Groups also bring chainsaws and cut down swathes of trees for firewood. However, critics say the camping ban undermines Scotland's hard-won right-to-roam laws and sets a precedent that other areas might follow.

They also believe it penalises the majority of peaceful campers, such as those walking the West Highland Way, due to a minority of troublemakers.

The ban will cover the area from Drymen to Rowardennan. Camping will only be legal at formally designated sites. There were 286 responses to a consultation into the proposals, with 61 per cent in favour and 36 per cent against.

Grant Moir, director of conservation and visitor experience, said yesterday: "The National Park Authority has not taken the decision lightly, but over many years East Loch Lomond has suffered from high levels of visitor pressure and issues of antisocial behaviour. This means that the easily accessible east shore area now needs these measures to protect the landscape and improve the visitor experience."

He added: "By introducing all these measures we can hopefully make the area a family friendly visitor destination where people can come and take in the stunning views, where the facilities are first class and all of it is enjoyed in a responsible manner."

However, Dave Morris, the director of Ramblers Scotland, said it would "undermine the Scottish land reform legislation" and set a precedent.

"We are convinced that this will lead to landowning interests all over the place calling for by-law powers," he said.

"We don't think this is justified at all in Loch Lomond. I think there is failure particularly by the Forestry Commission in Loch Lomond. They have clearly not been managing their land on the side of Loch Lomond for several decades now and we also don't think the police have been doing enough."

A spokesman for Forestry Commission Scotland said it had "always taken a proactive approach to managing this and worked in partnership to try and tackle this difficult problem".

A final one-month consultation will take place towards the end of July and, if approved by Scottish ministers, the ban will be in force from April 2011.

&#149 The board also voted yesterday to clarify its stance towards wind farms, following concerns that a draft local plan highlighted large swathes of areas potentially suitable for turbines. They will clarify that only small-scale schemes will be considered suitable.