Under consideration PE2224: Review legislation in order to strengthen the Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review the legislation concerning the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), in order to:
• explicitly prohibit camping in a vehicle, outside of designated camping zones; and
• make the provisions of the Code legally enforceable by introducing dedicated enforcement teams and fines for Code violations.
Background information
The petition seeks to acknowledge that the right of responsible access must not be lost.
The success in delivering an increasing number of visitors has not been matched with sufficient infrastructure investment to accommodate them or any operational review process to monitor and improve the experience for visitors and residents. Scotland’s rural attractions are therefore now woefully underserved in several key areas including infrastructure, support and consultation with locally impacted communities and non-tourist related industries.
This is now having a massive environmental impact across Scotland – wild fires, extensive litter and human waste pollution, destruction of and damage to flora and fauna, erosion of road verges by parked cars and vans, obstruction to other road users (including emergency services), fouling of watercourses by chemical waste, barbeques and campfires and damage to significant Scottish heritage sites.
The above is evidenced in the Highland Council Outdoor Access Rangers’ reports.
112 signatures
This petition is now under consideration
Click here for further information about the consideration of this petition.