24 May 2019

Aberdeenshire Council works with Banff coastguard team to resolve parking issues outside Battery Green base

Aberdeenshire Council roads officers have been meeting with members of the Coastguard Team in Banff recently to discuss their concerns over parking.
 
Coastguard team members expressed frustration about the difficulty caused by members of the public parking outside their base at Battery Green.
 
While there has been a local appeal to motorists to be considerate and keep the area clear, it is a public road and there are no parking restrictions in place.
 
But in an emergency, a matter of a few minutes can make a huge difference and so council officers worked with the coastguard to try to find a solution, after they made a request for dedicated parking spaces outside their base.
 
White advisory "Keep Clear" markings have now been painted on the road outside the base to remind motorists of the importance of keeping the area clear and to try to keep space for three vehicles free.
 
As well as looking at options to reduce any immediate issues for Coastguard members, other work by officers is looking at short and long term parking in the area.

The Council is working in partnership with the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Macduff Medical Practice to look at how to increase parking provision in the Battery Green area. Together feedback forms have been developed seeking patients' views on parking provision in the area, which are available from the GP surgery.

A recent Facebook post by a coastguard team member claimed the council was unwilling to help resolve the situation, but the team has apologised for the inaccuracy of that post, which came about following frustrations about parking after a recent emergency call out.
 
Both the coastguard and Aberdeenshire Council will continue to work together to find solutions to any issues.