Comments welcomed on £510k upgrade of rural tourism infrastructure

The ‘Coast to Country’ proposals are phase two of Moray Council’s staycation-ready projects, and have been put together by Moray Council and partners including Moray Speyside Tourism Business Improvement District, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and a number of community trusts and associations.

Included in the plans are: a new motorhome facility in Cullen; motorhome parking in Ballindalloch and Craigellachie; upgrade and reopening of toilets in Findhorn and Ballindalloch; a new car park and footpath to Bow Fiddle Rock; car park improvements at Ben Rinnes, Ballindalloch, Hopeman and Craigellachie; and enhanced tourism and community signage.

Its aim is to create a network of facilities that contribute to tourism and relieve pressure on local beauty spots. Moray Council will submit a bid next month to the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF) requesting £278,616, with the remainder of the funds coming from the Coastal Communities Fund, HIE and in-kind contributions from community partners.

If successful, it will improve visitor experience in Moray and reduce the negative impacts on local communities from the accelerated growth of staycations. If approved, it’s expected that works could be completed by April 2022.

Details on all the proposed upgrades are available within the consultation material, which is being staged as a virtual exhibition and available to download.

Convener of Moray Council, Cllr Shona Morrison, said: “These are ambitious plans which demonstrate that by communities and organisations working together there is a real opportunity to improve infrastructure to make Moray attractive to visitors while mitigating issues like parking pressures and waste disposal.

“I’m particularly pleased to see the inclusion of additional electric vehicle charging points and improvements to make our beauty spots more accessible. I’d encourage those with feedback on the proposals to have their say on these Moray-wide upgrades.”

Comments can be submitted by email to chemtoiletconsult@moray.gov.uk, or by writing to:

Coast to Country Rural Tourism Fund Project Team, Consultancy, Moray Council, PO Box 6700, Elgin, Moray, IV30 9BX. All feedback should be received by Friday 3 September.