Disabled parking spaces reduced at Highland Council's Inverness HQ
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THE number of disabled parking spaces has been reduced outside Highland Council’s headquarters in Inverness.
There was surprise when 20 bays were designated for disabled drivers in front of the offices in Glenurquhart Road at the start of this year, with some suggesting this was more than would ever actually be needed.
At the time Pat Hayden, chairwoman of Crown and City Centre Community Council, said she was surprised to see 20 newly-painted parking spaces designated for disabled people.
“Is this number excessive? “ she asked. “My husband has a disabled badge and we are all for disabled parking, but 20 seems a lot. Are they going to have 20 disabled folk in the Highland Council headquarters at any one time?”
The area previously comprised reserved spaces for visitors and officials, including the convenor and vice-convenor, but it was altered prior to the new pay-and-display parking system going live.
Mrs Hatden said that so many designated parking spaces might make it difficult for others to find a space while even council leader Margaret Davidson was caught out after parking on newly-painted double yellow lines at the bike sheds behind the headquarters building when no other spaces were available.
The council said that the number was in line with planning guidance for a building of that size and was in fact just one more than had been previously available.
The spaces had simply been collectively “re-allocated” to the front of the building where visitors have to access and register at reception and there is a dedicated disabled access, they said.
Use of the spaces would be monitored, to check how much they were actually used, with adjustments being made as necessary.
There are now just five disabled spaces at the front of the building and a further two in the courtyard area further away from the main entrance.
A spokeswoman for Highland Council said: “With the introduction of parking enforcement at council’s HQ in Inverness initially all the existing disabled parking spaces that were previously located around the car park were relocated to the front of the building where there are lowered kerbs and access to reception.
“There was a perception by some that the number of disabled parking allocations had increased. This was not the case.
“Since then the demand for the number of disabled spaces has been reviewed and seven spaces from the front of the building have been reallocated for general parking.
“There remains five disabled spaces at the front of the building next to reception and there are two disabled spaces to the rear of the building in the courtyard, with a total of seven disabled spaces.
“The council will continue to monitor the demand and can, if required, reintroduce more disabled bays in the future.”
Pay and display parking was introduced at the council car park and adjoining Eden Court Theatre in February, in a move it was said would save the council £20,000 a year.
A traffic order was made to make the car park shared use permit parking for staff and councillors and long-stay parking.
Pay and display parking is available Mondays to Fridays from 4pm to 8am, and Saturdays and Sundays.
Visitors to the council are required to log their car registration with reception if they do not have a parking permit.
Any misuse of the car park or flouting of the rules can lead to the issuing of a £60 penalty charge.
