Clyde Wind Farm

Kyle of Lochalsh - Car Parks FEASIBILITY STUDY July 2018

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

CONTROL SHEET

CLIENT: Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust

PROJECT TITLE: Car Parks in Kyle

REPORT TITLE: Car Parks in Kyle – Feasibility Study

PROJECT REFERENCE: 124148

DOCUMENT NUMBER: 124148/GLA/CIV/FST

STATUS: DRAFT/FINAL/FOR REVIEW

Name Signature Date

Prepared by Steven Ward 02/08/18

Checked by Chris Weir 02/08/18

Approved by Grant Scholes 02/08/18 Issue & Approval Schedule Approval Issue &

Issue Date Status Description Signature

By SW Drawings included in appendix & community 3 02/10/18 DRAFT Check CW consultation findings expanded upon Approve GS

By SW Revision Record Revision 4 05/10/18 FINAL Revised to Final Check GS

Approve GS

This document has been prepared in accordance with procedure OP/P02 of the Fairhurst Quality and Environmental Management System

This document has been prepared in accordance with the instructions of the client, Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust, for the client’s sole and specific use. Any other persons who use any information contained herein do so at their own risk.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

CONTENTS 1. Introduction ...... 1 2. Study Methodology ...... 2 3. Context ...... 3 3.1 Location ...... 3 3.2 Local Regeneration Works ...... 4 4. Development Options ...... 5 4.1 Feasible Large Car Park Options ...... 6 4.1.1 Two-Storey Car Park Development near Seafood Factory (L5) ...... 6 4.1.2 Coastal Marine Infill near Co-op store (L7) ...... 11 4.1.3 Sea Loch Marine Infill Behind Football Field (L10) ...... 15 4.2 Feasible Small Car Park Options ...... 20 4.2.1 Car Park Development on Flat Terrain near Seafood Factory (S10) ...... 20 4.2.2 Time Limited Parking on Fishery Pier Road (S11) ...... 22 4.2.3 Demarcation of roadside parking throughout village (expansion of original S3) ...... 23 4.3 Coach Parking ...... 24

Appendix A – Non-Feasible Sites Considered Appendix B – Land Ownership Data Appendix C – Environmental Data Appendix D – Ground Data Appendix E – Traffic Flow Data Appendix F – Community Consultation Data Appendix G – Feasible Site Drawings

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

1. Introduction

Photograph 1 - Aerial View of Kyle Through the development of a community regeneration strategy and community consultation, a deficiency in car parking spaces in Kyle of Lochalsh has been identified as a significant barrier to growth as a tourist destination.

Kyle is intersected by the A87 which serves as a major tourist route to the Isle of Skye via the Skye Bridge. The majority of existing car parking spaces are taken by daily commuters who work in Kyle, leaving little space for shoppers and visitors to the village and therefore limiting the ability of local businesses to take full advantage of the town as a gateway location.

Fairhurst are leading a design team to investigate potential car park sites in and around Kyle. The investigation will include a number of options catering for large and small capacities. Recommendations will be made based on this feasibility study and options which are not eliminated on the grounds of feasibility may progress to a business case assessment. This report has been prepared by Fairhurst, on behalf of Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust under the Our Way Ahead initiative.

For further information, please contact Jo Wawrzyczek (Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust) or Steven Ward (Fairhurst).

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

2. Study Methodology

This study was completed in the following key stages;

 Initial Desktop Study

This stage involved initial development of car park options using available resources such as OS maps, online environmental and geological databases, traffic flow data and available imagery of the village. This research, combined with correspondence with stakeholders, led to the development of preliminary car park options in and around the village.

 Site Visit & Option Refinement Following initial option development, a site visit was undertaken. Information gathered from visual inspection of sites combined with on-site guidance from the Community Trust was used to refine the initial options and eliminate those which would not be deemed feasible.

 Detailed Study & Community Consultation

The refined options were then developed further with investigations into land ownership, specific environmental interests within car park option location boundaries, access routes and constructability issues all considered. This stage included a community consultation (see Appendix F for details), used to further inform the feasibility assessments with local knowledge and to develop a high level gauge of public opinion on the site options. This process informed the final feasibility assessment of the locations, with those deemed feasible then carried forward for final reporting.

 Final Reporting Preliminary layout drawings were developed for those car park options deemed feasible and detailed reporting was completed as per this document in order to present the findings of the feasibility study.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

3. Context

3.1 Location

The village of Kyle of Lochalsh is located on the west coast of the Highland mainland, in an iconic location overlooking Loch Alsh and the Isle of Skye. It is an idyllic centre for many sea based activities with ongoing developments for land based activities in the Plock of Kyle area.

Photograph 2 - Coastal View from Kyle

Photograph 3 - Pier & Coastal View from Kyle East Entry Prior to opening of the Skye Bridge in 1995, the village of Kyle provided the main Ferry terminal to the island. This resulted in a significant number of tourists stopping off and spending money in the village on their way to or from Skye. Since the bridge construction, this ferry service has been rendered virtually redundant and the resulting drop in stopping tourists has led to an ongoing decline in the socioeconomic condition of the town.

The Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust was established in order to implement and encourage regeneration strategies and projects in the area. They are currently working on several projects to breathe new life into the village, by developing local tourist attraction. A recurring obstacle in most of these projects and in the overall viability for tourist growth is the lack of available parking spaces in the village.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

3.2 Local Regeneration Works

Photograph 4 - Plock Entrance

The Plock in Kyle has been earmarked for development under a masterplan including a multitude of outdoor and nature activities, with the scale of development dependent on available funds and environmental constraints. Businesses in the village of Kyle could reap benefits from any progression of the Plock development if car parking within the village is better facilitated.

Photograph 5 - Kyle Pontoons Other notable projects in the area include the upgrade of the Kyle pontoons/marina in a drive to make Kyle into a top water activities destination. Central to the success of any such plan would be the provision of suitable car parking arrangements within the village.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4. Development Options

Development options were selected via an initial desk study of the area. This study identified a total of 12 potential large car park sites and 9 potential small car park sites (increasing to 12 following a site walkaround survey).

Of those sites where car park development was deemed technically unfeasible, summaries and reasons for dismissal are included in Appendix A.

This section of the report identifies the sites found to be technically feasible for car park development in the Kyle of Lochalsh area and, for each site, includes description of technical obstacles, findings on land ownership, environmental concerns, community concerns and licensing requirements.

The locations found to be technically feasible are identified as L5, L7, L10, S10 and S11 as well as a variation/ expansion of option S3. These locations are identified on the village map below:

Sketch 1 - Overview of Feasible Options

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.1 Feasible Large Car Park Options

4.1.1 Two-Storey Car Park Development near Seafood Factory (L5) Summary

Near the main village pier there is a plot of flat open terrain, mostly currently unused. This location is considered for a two level car park, with an upper floor constructed to tie in with the A87 level. A relatively large footprint of the available area would be required in order to provide car ramps between levels, therefore in order to maximise space provision, the study will consider these car parks without a direct link between levels – access will be provided to the upper level from the A87 past the existing funeral directors and access will be available to the lower level via the fishery pier road. This proposal would provide an estimated 130 spaces (75 upper level and 55 lower level).

Photograph 10 - L5 Site Location

Photograph 11 - L5 Site Location (View from Upper Level)

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Upper Level

Lower Level

Sketch 2 – Plan View of Two-storey Car Park Development near Seafood Factory

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Technical Description

This car park would be constructed on piled foundations with an overall structure of column and slab design with introduction of an appropriate vehicle restraint system adjacent to the railway track at lower level and around upper level perimeters. The design would feature an access shaft with stair/lift facilities between levels for pedestrians. Detailed investigation would be required prior to design in order to ascertain any nearby structural elements of the railway line and the overbridge and design would require to ensure that structural capacities of these elements are not compromised. Retaining wall structures at the existing slopes to the higher land may be required due to load changes at the existing land at upper level. This also applies if reduction of the slope ingress into the lower land space is deemed beneficial in order to provide more available space for car parking.

Technical Considerations

Construction

Construction of this car park would be locally disruptive for the duration of works with high levels of noise and site traffic. Local roads will be affected by transport of materials and heavy machinery. Co-ordination may be required with other projects in the region, such as wind farm development, in order to ensure materials and machinery can be delivered with minimum disruption. The available land on site is such that disruption to the local fishery pier operations should be minimal.

Heavy piling procedures may require to be carried out during line possession hours as a safety measure.

Topography

A full topographical survey of the site will be required. Ground Conditions

The British Geological Society indicates that the bedrock within the proposed car park vicinity is Applecross formation Sandstone. A full ground investigation will be required to establish ground conditions of overlying strata, depths to bedrock and any chemical/ hydrocarbon issues which may be present in the area. Existing ground condition data extracts are shown in Appendix D. Flood Risk

Due to the large area of hard landscaping being proposed here, a suitable drainage system will be required in order to alleviate any issues of surface water runoff. A Flood Risk Assessment will be required to inform layout and design in line with West Highland Council area development requirements, only low vulnerability uses or operationally essential uses shall be developed in areas shown to be at risk of flooding, to be accompanied by resilience measures.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Access

Access to the upper level would be achieved from station road via the existing funeral care provider car park. It is envisaged that part acquisition of this land would be required in order to provide the access road through. The resulting loss in car parking spaces may result in a need to provide reserved spots within the new car park development to compensate. The road into this area is currently accessible via a simple junction off the A87. Due to the increase in traffic flow into this road, traffic lights would have to be implemented at this junction.

Access to the lower road would be achieved via Fishery Pier Road. No significant traffic measures will be required here however it may be desirable to implement measure to improve this route visually if it is to be used primarily by tourists.

Using Transport Scotland’s Development Management guidelines, modification to the junction from the A87 into proposed car park would be qualified as minor in that the proposed car park will not have a significant impact on the trunk road network in terms of the potential number of trips generated and thus the resulting effect on network capacity. In such circumstances no detailed assessment will be necessary; a Transport Assessment Form or Transport Statement will generally suffice.

Land Ownership

Land ownership in this area falls under Highland Council however the adjacent seafood factory is leased under Amazon Seafoods Limited for 94 years until the end of 2087. There was no legal requirement to submit plans to the Sasine Register therefore identification of a property or area is primarily based on written descriptions and the boundaries of this leased plot are unclear. It is unclear if further searches of the Sasine register will produce unambiguous site plans and, due to the associated costs of searching further in the Sasine Register, it was deemed that the information gathered is sufficient to conclude that Land Ownership will not make this development unfeasible, although if the development is progressed then further investigation will be required in order to ascertain how land acquisition may be progressed. Details of acquired land ownership data, including Sasine search sheets, are included in Appendix B. Public Opinion (based on community consultation findings)

Favourability for this option is strong and this was the most favoured option out of all put forward for community consultation (see Appendix F for details). The centrality in the town is identified as a key component of this favourability. The majority of feedback for the key items of location, access, space provision and visual impact was positive.

Environmental Concerns In line with West Highland Council area development requirements, a protected species survey must be completed; Development Proposals must demonstrate that there would be no adverse effect on the integrity of the Inner Hebrides and the Minches and Lochs Duich, Long and Alsh Reefs SACs or Loch Duich, Long and Alsh MPA (including during construction as well as any operational activities that arise from development). Land contamination site investigations may also be required however these can be incorporated in to ground condition investigations for minimal cost. Licensing/ approval Requirements

The proximity of this location to the existing railway, combined with the likely requirement for heavy piling works, means that coordination with the Network Rail Asset Protection Team will be required and related approvals for the works must be sought, with an Asset Protection Agreement required.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Local Development Requirements

West Highland Council also stipulates these further local development requirements in this area:

 Commuted parking contribution if parking requirements cannot be met on site.

 Archaeological walkover survey in first instance with possible programme of archaeological works/mitigation.

 Siting and design should not adversely affect the setting of the Station and Pier Listed Building; for any development of this site it is therefore advised that early consultation with local planners is completed. Siting

The central village location of this option is highly favourable as it provides direct access to the concentration of local village amenities and it is highly visible to passing tourists. Expansion/ Additional Opportunities

Community members with stakes in the existing seafood factory adjacent to this site indicated a willingness to repurpose the land for car parking and retail facilities both at the community consultation and from a proposal submitted previously to the Community Trust. If development of option L5 was to proceed then it would be prudent to explore the potential expansion options that this repurposing could facilitate. This would require consultation with the owner(s) of the seafood factory and efforts to ascertain what stake they would be seeking to retain in the development.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.1.2 Coastal Marine Infill near Co-op store (L7)

Photograph 6 - L7 Site Location Photograph 7 - L7 Site Location Summary This option involves coastal land reclamation local to the existing Co-op store at the southwest corner of the town. Marine in-fill would be utilised in order to develop a plot of circa 6000 m² which could potentially provide an estimated 180 parking spaces. Vehicle access/egress would be provided direct to the A87 and pedestrian walkways in to town would be via the existing path adjacent to the A87 and direct from the east side of the car park to an exit point near to the traffic lights at the Co-op store access road.

Sketch 3 – Plan View of Coastal Marine Infill near Co-op store

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Technical Description

A proposed car park on this site would be constructed on marine infill with sea protection provided by rock armour revetment around the sea facing perimeter. Reinforced concrete slabbing with screed would then make up the surface of the car park. Service routes for lighting, drainage etc. would all be incorporated into the slab and fill design. The car park would be on a lower elevation than the adjacent A87 road level and therefore any access and egress road(s) would slope downwards towards the car park requiring embankment or retaining wall construction local to the sloped road.

Technical Considerations Construction

Construction of this car park could be facilitated by land or sea transport of materials (the latter requiring additional environmental approvals). It is envisaged that infill material would be sourced from quarries in the region such as those on the Isle of Skye or near Fort William.

Local and wider areas will be affected by large transport of infill material if this is to be completed by road transport. Co-ordination may be required with other projects in the region, such as wind farm development, in order to ensure materials can be delivered with minimum disruption. This development will require modification of a trunk road with the development of at least one new minor/major junction. This may have to be coordinated early in the design process. Site access will be directly off the trunk road and will include large/heavy machinery; this is likely to result in disruption to the trunk road traffic during the construction phase.

Bathymetry

A full bathymetric survey will be required in order to establish the volume of marine infill required and to inform a tidal assessment.

Tidal

A tidal assessment of the infilled land would be required. Ground Conditions

Due to the proposed car park’s proximity to the sea and low lying elevation a full flood risk assessment will be required. Considerations of the potential effects of wave action, funnelling and local bathymetry at this location will also need to be included.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Access

Using Transport Scotland’s Development Management guidelines, a junction from the A87 into proposed car park would be qualified as minor in that the proposed car park will not have a significant impact on the trunk road network in terms of the potential number of trips generated and thus the resulting effect on network capacity. In such circumstances no detailed assessment will be necessary; a Transport Assessment Form or Transport Statement will generally suffice.

As the land adjacent to the A87 will be significantly altered, a RRRAP assessment of the A87 local to the car park would be required in order to determine the suitability of the existing vehicle restraint system (currently N2).

Vehicle access/egress could be provided to this new car park direct from the A87. Using available average traffic flow data (shown in appendix E) junction requirements specified in DMRB codes stipulate that a ghost island junction from the A87 would be required off the 40mph stretch of road on the west exit of the village. It would be desirable to extend the current 30mph zone westward beyond the new car park junction. A simple junction could be implemented in such conditions however in design of this option it may be deemed desirable to implement a ghost island junction in any case in order to avoid congestion during peak tourism times. For simplicity, the diagram below shows a simple junction as the access point. The stretch of A87 at the point offers ample sightline visibility to conform to DMRB TD 42/95 geometric design features of junctions requirements.

Local pedestrian footfall would increase and road crossing timings would have to be modified accordingly. Wayfinding and signposting improvements would be required in order to guide unfamiliar visitors into the village centre.

Land Ownership

Land ownership in this area will largely fall under Crown Estate or Highland Council. The easternmost section of the car park may infringe on land under ownership by the Kyle of Lochalsh Hotel. This land is not registered on the plans based Land Register and remains in the older Register of Sasines. There was no legal requirement to submit plans to the Sasine Register therefore identification of a property or area is primarily based on written descriptions. It is anticipated that this may result in some ambiguity as to the land boundaries of the Hotel. Due to the associated costs of searching further in the Sasine Register, it was deemed that the information gathered is sufficient to conclude that Land Ownership will not make this development unfeasible, although if the development is progressed then further investigation will be required in order to ascertain how land ownership boundaries may affect either the placement/ extent of the car park on the shoreline or the costs of acquiring the land for use. Details of acquired land ownership data, including Sasine search sheets, are included in Appendix B.

Public Opinion (based on community consultation findings)

The community is generally in favour of this option or at least not opposed to it, this is despite low satisfaction being stated regarding site location, road access/ traffic changes and visual impact. It is indicated that the number of spaces provided combined with the general public appetite for large scale additional parking facilities is the dominant factor in the favourability registered with this option.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Environmental Concerns

The marine infill that is required for this option will occur in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) this falls under the regulations of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 and requires an application for licensing under Scotland’s National Marine Plan. Another consideration is Otters in the area which are a protected species under the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 and will require an otter survey to be carried out and licensing from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) prior to works. The adjacent waters are a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) due to the fact that it is home to the Harbour Porpoise. Marine developments have been highlighted in the SAC as an area of concern that will require special planning considerations. Noise assessment may be required, particularly for any heavy construction works.

SNH have also indicated that development in this area is likely to present significant challenges due to the presence of qualifying SAC reef habitat. They have suggested that it may be possible to progress development in this location subject to avoiding significant works below Mean Low Water Spring (MLWS). The majority of the car park and infill area in the preliminary layout presented lies above the MLWS and car park boundaries are amenable. SNH have also advised that, while it is unlikely that flame shell bed habitats occur in the plotted area, measures may be required in order to avoid indirect impact on these habitats in nearby areas. Any development involving marine infill will require completion of a robust Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Further details of environmental concerns, including maps of designated conservation areas and SNH correspondence are included in Appendix C. The extent of environmental interests in this area mean that, while this location is deemed technically feasible, development would carry a high risk of being vetoed on grounds of environmental impact. This cannot be ascertained without more detailed development of the proposal and submittal to parties for required approvals. Any construction that will be taking place in the area will need to conform to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) best practice.

Licensing Requirements Land reclamation works would require extensive permits and licensing. Marine Scotland Licensing would be required. This can be a lengthy and stringent application process but can be partly mitigated with early consultation. Anticipated fees would be in the region of £5,000 per annum. Siting

The proposed location of this car park is highly visible to passing tourists and provides access within short walking distance to the central village amenities. Community concerns have been raised as to the location of any large car park out with the direct centre of the village and the potential unwillingness of visitors to walk to the central village amenities however it is deemed that, due to the short and direct road journey from the town centre to the car park, the perceived walking distance will not deter visitors.

Expansion/Additional Opportunities

In any further development of this car park location, an option which could be explored would be to tie this development in with any expanded marina development. This could include the incorporation of a breakwater which would have a knock on effect of reducing the sea protection requirements for the car park (therefore reducing cost). Each development would supplement the other with regards to business case viability.

This would, however, increase the risk to the project(s) on environmental approval grounds.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.1.3 Sea Loch Marine Infill Behind Football Field (L10) Summary This option would utilise the shallow water area at the back of the existing playing fields near the village leisure centre. Marine infill would be implemented in order to reclaim land at the sea loch, developing a plot of circa 7000 m² which could potentially provide an estimated 220 parking spaces. Access would be via an improved road where an existing track runs adjacent to the football fields from Douglas Row. The car park would then either be located on the new marine infill land, or at the location of the existing football fields with the football fields relocated to the new marine infill area.

Photograph 8 - L10 Site Location

Photograph 9 - L10 Access Road Location

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Sketch 4 - Plan View of Sea Loch Marine Infill Behind Football Field

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Technical Description

A proposed car park on this site would be constructed on marine infill with sea protection provided by rock armour revetment around the sea loch facing perimeter. Reinforced concrete slabbing with screed would then make up the surface of the car park. Service routes for lighting, drainage etc. would all be incorporated into the slab and fill design. Technical Considerations

Construction

Construction of this car park would be locally disruptive for the duration of works with high levels of noise and visually, the presence of a large worksite on scenic views. Due to the environmental importance of the area construction methods will need to be sympathetic to their surroundings. Local and wider areas will be affected by large transport of infill material if this is to be completed by road transport. Co-ordination may be required with other projects in the region, such as wind farm development, in order to ensure materials can be delivered with minimum disruption.

Site access will be through the town and will include large/heavy machinery: This is likely to result in disruption to local roads and congestion at times. Bathymetry

A full bathymetric survey will be required in order to establish the volume of marine infill required and to inform a tidal assessment. Tidal

A tidal assessment of the infilled land would be required.

Ground Conditions British Geological Society maps indicate that the bedrock within the proposed car park vicinity is Applecross formation Sandstone. A full ground investigation will be required to establish ground conditions of overlying strata, depths to bedrock and any chemical/ hydrocarbon issues which may be present in the area. Existing ground condition data extracts are shown in Appendix D.

Flood Risk

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Land Ownership

The areas of land lying to the south west side of the railway line from Plockton to Kyle of Lochalsh are owned by The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty (The Trust) and approvals from the Trust must therefore be sought. The proprietors of the ground in question are the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary of the Kyle Playing Fields Association. The land below the Mean High Water Spring Tide (MHWS) is owned by the Crown Estates Scotland. Additional interests are held by Scottish Water due to the presence of the village sewerage tanks underground at the location and access provisions will require to be maintained. Land ownership data acquired from Registers of Scotland is included in Appendix B.

Public Opinion (based on community consultation findings)

Opposition of this option was equal to favourability. Satisfaction was low for several key items such as location, access, space provision and visual impact and the survey showed this to be the least favoured of the technically feasible large car park options.

Environmental Concerns The waters around Kyle of Lochalsh have been designated a Special Area of Conservation due to presence of the Harbour Porpoise and this places restrictions on marine development in the area – as such, noise assessment may be required, particularly for any heavy construction works. SNH have advised that consultation for the possible Loch Carron MPA has recently been completed and this should be treated like a designated MPA for the purpose of this study. The car park site falls partly within this MPA which features flame shell beds and maerl beds. SNH have advised that these habitats are unlikely to be present in the proposed car park area but that they would require a basic survey to be carried out as part of any development in order to confirm this. Furthermore, measures may be required in order to avoid indirect impact on these habitats in nearby areas.

Any construction that will be taking place in the area will need to conform to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) best practice. A full EIA will need to be carried out for this development, paying specific attention to any marine mammals in the area. The community consultation indicates the presence of otters and their Holts so an otter survey and associated licensing may be required. Should construction for a marine infill option get the go ahead, measures of equivalent environmental benefit to offset the damage that will or may be caused by the act will need to be carried out.

The extent of environmental interests in this area mean that, while this location is deemed technically feasible, development would carry a risk of being vetoed on grounds of environmental impact. This cannot be ascertained without more detailed development of the proposal and submittal to parties for required approvals but there is precedent for similar development in the area as the existing playing fields are on marine infill land. Correspondence with SNH also yielded positive feedback where they have stated that the impacts on designated sites and protected species could likely be mitigated by good design and implementation. SNH also point out that this area is already allocated for development in the local plan, potentially simplifying obtaining planning permission. Licensing Requirements

Land reclamation works would require extensive permits and licensing. Marine Scotland Licensing would be required. This can be a lengthy and stringent application process but can be mitigated with early consultation. Anticipated fees would be in the region of £5,000 per annum.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Access

Access to this car park would be via an improved road where an existing track runs adjacent to the football fields from Douglas Row.

It was ascertained during the community consultation that road capacity through Main St is already an issue, with congestion a regular occurrence due to the limited off road parking and the presence of business on the road which require regular service deliveries. Provision of a large car park with access via this road would therefore require investigation and implementation of traffic management plans in order to mitigate against local congestion which would have the combined effect of impacting locals and deterring passing drivers from visiting the car park.

Siting

The proposed location of this car park is not visible to passing tourists and results in the requirements for a short walk (circa 5 minutes) to the village centre. Community concerns have been raised as to the location of any large car park out with the direct centre of the village and the potential unwillingness of visitors to walk to the central village amenities. It was also indicated on the community consultation that the existing leisure centre car park local to this location is frequently not being utilised to maximum capacity despite the existing central village car park being full, with potential tourist opting to bypass the village instead of travelling to the available parking. This could be due, in part, to limited signage and awareness of the parking facilities here.

Development of the Plock means that this site could provide parking for visitors to both the Plock and the Village. The proximity to the village centre means that this location could directly reap benefit from Plock visitors as a significant number could be expected to utilise village amenities on their visit to the Plock.

Expansion/ Additional Opportunities As a location which will be close to both the village centre and the Plock, there is opportunity to develop this area further as a community/activity hub, with the Plock and local leisure facilities offering a multitude of nature & sport activity opportunities.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.2 Feasible Small Car Park Options

4.2.1 Car Park Development on Flat Terrain near Seafood Factory (S10)

Photograph 12 - S10 Site Location

Sketch 5 – Plan View of Car Park Development on Flat Terrain near Seafood Factory

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Summary

This option involves the plot of land at the site of large car park proposal L5. As an alternative to developing an additional storey here, the existing flat terrain could be utilised alone as a small car park with access off fishery pier road with an estimated 60 space capacity.

Many of the considerations listed for proposal L5 apply to this site, particularly those relating to the lower level; however design and construction costs will be considerably lower. Approval processes are also likely to be less stringent with regards to consultations with the Network Rail Asset Management Team as requirements for heavy construction work near to the tracks will be considerably less.

Technical Description

This car park would consist of a reinforced concrete slab with introduction of an appropriate vehicle restraint system adjacent to the railway track. It would be desirable to facilitate local pedestrian access to the upper level of land (at the railway overbridge elevation) as opposed to the current routes which would either involve walking up fishery pier road and along the Station Road into town or via the fishery pier and along Station Road. This could be achieved through installation of an access shaft with lift/stair access.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.2.2 Time Limited Parking on Fishery Pier Road (S11)

Photograph 13 – S11 Site Location Photograph 14- S11 Site Location

Sketch 6 - Time Limited Parking on Fishery Pier Road Summary

This option involves implementation of restricted parking times on the roadside parking available on Fishery Pier Road. This aims to address the current issue of cold storage of cars in these areas which are blocking potential parking spots. This would free up an estimated 26 car parking spaces.

This low cost option will require marking of bays with applied signage and potential metering in order to ensure compliance with time restrictions. Technical Description

This proposal would require bay demarcation and signage only, with a requirement to introduce an enforceable system for time limited parking.

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4.2.3 Demarcation of roadside parking throughout village (expansion of original S3)

Summary This low cost option would involve demarcation of roadside parking, implemented over the entirety of the village, with marked bays being added in areas where road width/local use allows. These spaces would be intended for locals and/or workers in the village. An increase in car parking availability throughout the town should result in lower numbers of commuters/locals parking at the central village car park or any future large car park developed, therefore leaving more space for tourists to stop. This would be implemented in line with an overall town parking scheme which would likely involve ticketed parking at the large central car parks; this would both encourage commuters to park within the local bays within the town and allow for revenue to be generated by the large car parks directly.

Development of this option would be progressed via a detailed walkover of the village and specification of roads where marked kerbside parking is practical, safe and beneficial. Consideration of potential local road congestion would be required, particularly in any roads where extensive street parking is not currently common practice. Clarity in the demarcation of roadside bays could result in an effective increase in the available village parking in the order of dozens of spaces however this could not be determined accurately without completion of the aforementioned walkover.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

4.3 Coach Parking

Photograph 15 - Proposed Designated Coach Parking Location

Of the car park options deemed feasible, it is envisaged that options L7 and L10 could facilitate coach parking (at the expense of car parking space capacity).

A preferred option would be to utilise the existing widened portion of the A87 (previously used as a road turning point from when the bridge toll charge was in place) near the old toll office. The proposal is to designate this redundant area of the road as coach parking. Passenger drop off points would be retained at the current locations near the centre of the village. This area could include a standalone addition of rest and toilet facilities for the coach drivers or provision of these facilities within the redevelopment of the old toll house, including provision of safe access from the coach parking location.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix A

Non-Feasible Sites Considered Refer to folder ‘Appendix A – Non-Feasible Sites Considered’’

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix B

Land Ownership Data Refer to folder ‘Appendix B - Land Ownership Data’

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix C

Environmental Data Refer to folder ‘Appendix C – Environmental Data’

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix D

Ground Data Refer to folder ‘Appendix D – Ground Data’

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix E

Traffic Flow Data Refer to folder ‘Appendix E – Traffic Flow Data’

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix F

Community Consultation Data Refer to folder ‘Appendix F – Community Consultation Data’ Community consultation was undertaken on Saturday 16th June 2018. This process involved setting up a drop-in session in Kyle Village Hall, with The Community Trust having provided public notice of the event. Various coincident events on the same day in and around the village led to a low turnout and it was decided throughout the day to set up stall within the local supermarket in order to attract discussion from the wider public.

The consultation provided worth in advertising the scheme to the public and in gauging the strong will within the village for a solution to the car parking issues to be found. Feedback for informing location feasibility was as follows;

 Main St congestion already an issue within the town and any scope to provide parking near the leisure centre should consider this.

 Existing Leisure Centre car park not being used to maximum capacity so expansion of this car park does not seem sensible.

 Community members with stakes in the existing seafood factory adjacent to this site indicated a willingness to repurpose the land for both car parking and retail facilities at the community consultation

 Use of land at existing QinetiQ base for access would likely not be achievable. Joanna Wawrzyczek, Development Officer for the Kyle & Lochalsh Community Trust, developed a survey for completion which included queries from Fairhurst to be put to the public. The results of this survey are included in this appendix folder and were used to further inform the feasibility study report. This survey produced data for assessing the public favourability or opposition to each option, as presented in the following charts.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Public Site Favourability Charts

The following charts show collated responses from the community consultation surveys (note: the paper survey responses do not show a degree of favourability/opposition, i.e. slightly or greatly, therefore these have been accounted for as either ‘in favour’ or ‘opposed’ or when no site is mentioned ‘neither opposed or in favour’).

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

The consultation showed there to be some opposition to the L1 & L10 marine infill options with marginally greater percentages being in favour. Marine infill option L7 garnered similar opposition (circa 10-15%) but gained significantly more votes in favour as opposed to a preference not being stated. Options L3 and L5 registered minimal opposition and L5 in particular was favoured among the community.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

For the majority of the responses for small car park options, a preference was not stated. With the exception of S5 and S9 opposition was minimal in comparison to favourability.

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Questionnaire Result Charts

The following charts indicate community satisfaction with various key items for each option (note: the paper survey findings cannot be directly converted into data for the charts below and so are excluded but assessment of these shows general agreement with the charts for the large car park locations, with L3 & L5 largely favoured, and slightly greater satisfaction for the small car parks).

124148: Car Parks in Kyle Feasibility Study

Appendix G

Feasible Site Drawings Refer to folder ‘Appendix G – Feasible Site Drawings’

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