NC500: Fury over £40 motorhome pass for North Coast 500 amid backlash from 'livid' caravan park owners

Caravan parks have been left “livid” by a new £40 holiday pass from Highland Council which has been introduced to tackle the impact of spiralling motorhome use.

A total of 28 caravan park businesses in the north have signed an open letter to Highland Council claiming that a new seven-day permit, which will allow motorhome users to stay in one of 12 designated carparks and use washing and toilet facilities at public leisure centres, will put their businesses at risk.

Lynn and Darren Redfern, of Dornoch Caravan and Camping Park, which sits on the North Coast 500, said the pass further undermined established caravan parks which are licensed and regulated through planning and health and safety.

The rise in motorhomes and campervans in the Highlands has posed problems for communities and the environment - but a new £40 pass for travellers which aims to tackle the issues has led to a backlash against the Highland Council scheme.(Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)

Motorhome users, who could pay up to £1,500 a week to hire their vehicle, were shunning established sites in search for the cheapest overnight option with the council scheme further exacerbating the problem, Mrs Redfern said.

She added that, as the school holidays get underway, just 50 out of 80 of its pitches were occupied – with Highland Council now its main competitor.

The open letter said: “ Over the last few years, the NC500 has changed the way people holiday in the Highlands of Scotland.

Motorhome users at a Highland Council carpark at Golspie, where there are four designated spaces. Meanwhile, established caravan parks are struggling to attract visitors.

“With all these low cost or free facilities now on offer motorhome users have been enabled to bypass caravan parks which now seem an expensive option.

"This new scheme which allows the user to access most of the facilities they need for the very low price of £40 for a week now makes your carparks a destination in their own right rather than a handy one night stop-over. Visitors will now plan their entire trip around your car park options and by-pass campsites altogether.

"Caravan parks cannot compete – and we should not have to.”

On Sunday, a council car park at Golspie contained five motorhomes – despite just four spaces designated - with the nearby caravan park hosting just one vehicle.

Mrs Redfern said her business had strict health and safety guidelines to adhere to and “crippling bills” for VAT, business rates, refuse collection and electricity to pay. As a result, she had to charge more than £25 per pitch per night to cover costs. She queried the safety of the car parks where motorhomes park closely side-by-side.

Highland Council introduced the voluntary scheme to deliver “sustainable and responsible tourism” and hoped visitors “would do the right thing”. Revenue raised will be put back into infrastructure and environmental projects.

It added that council staff, partners and members of the public were earlier invited to suggest ways the council could raise income with charges for campervan and motorhome users emerging as an option.

Allan Gunn, Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate), said: “The launch of the Highland Campervan and Motorhome Scheme is understood to be the first of its kind by any UK local authority. ‘Conscious travellers’ who opt for the seven-day pass have access to scheme benefits that will support continued improvements to services such as public toilets, wastewater infrastructure, and environmental and ecological protections.”

The council has confirmed it received the letter signed by caravan park owners.