Council rejects wildfowling petition

A PETITION against wildfowling in Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve has been rejected by Moray Council.

The authority received the petition, lodged by Friends of Findhorn Bay, in December 2015, and a counter petition was submitted but not validated. Since then a number of options have been explored by councillors, most recently with the council facilitating mediation sessions, which although made significant progress, did not conclude in a final agreement between all interested parties.

Chair of Moray Council’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Graham Leadbitter, said that time and effort from council staff and external bodies had gone in to try and find a resolution.

“There’s a limit to how long we can continue to support that process and still deliver other council priorities. As such, this morning councillors rejected the petition as we can’t dedicate any more resources to this.

“Notwithstanding this, we accept that the groups involved may continue with the process and reach a decision, agreed by all parties. If this happens, this decision could be considered by Council in the future.”

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live. Nestling between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, Moray stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Brodie Castle in the west.