Councillor highlights illegal parking in Elgin town centre
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Illegal parking problems are continuing to blight Elgin town centre, Moray Council was told yesterday.
The issue was discussed again at a meeting of the police and fire and rescue committee on Thursday.
Councillor John Divers (Elgin South, Labour) said: "This is the third consecutive meeting that I’ve raised this issue.
"I continue to support the police and recognise how short staffed they are at the moment with Covid, but this has been ongoing for a long time
"Elgin Community Council has written to our local MSP and the regional MSPs with concerns about parking in and around Elgin town centre.
"I do see the police out from time to time, but on Batchen Street, which is a pedestrian area, there are always cars parked there."
Cllr Divers said part of the problem was caused by the reconstruction of the Poundland building on the corner of the town’s High Street and North Street.
The site has now been surrounded with scaffolding for almost four years – and this prevents one-way traffic coming from the west heading down North Street and on to the A96.
Instead vehicles have been directed up Batchen Street which was pedestrianised about nine years ago.
The scaffolding around the building is not expected to come down until summer next year.
Cllr Divers added: "The Poundland rebuild will not be completed until next summer, so that’s another 17 months of this.
"And motorists are driving through the pedestrianised area of the High Street, and parking on it.
"This is an issue that needs to be dealt with, and it's a rising problem."
Chief superintendent Neil McDonald told the meeting that work to address the problem had been ongoing with Elgin Business Improvement District and the council.
He said: "I know it’s been a long standing issue, and we need to look at a preventative approach."
