Visitors to Loch Lomond Shores will introduce paid parking from Wednesday, January 28, as part of a plan to reinvest funding into its facilities and long-term improvements.
Based on past usage analysis, this means that around 75% of people will pay the £1.50 level for parking with the introduction.
“From land management to internal infrastructure maintenance, all costs have risen significantly in recent years and, without taking this step, we would not be able to maintain our standards, let alone increase investment in new initiatives that will benefit visitors.
“And while we’ve kept the parking charges to a minimum, they will have a significantly positive impact on what Loch Lomond Shores offers its visitors going forward.”
The first investment funded by the charges will be the installation of eight supercharger EV points, planned for sometime this summer.
The attraction also plans to use some of the revenue to support community groups, with further details expected after the scheme has been in place for several months.
The new parking system will be managed by Wise Parking and uses ticketless technology.
Visitors enter their registration number at one of three pay stations—two card-only, and one that accepts both cash and card—located near the main entrance and along the central pathway by the Churros cabin.
They then select the duration of their visit and pre-pay for parking.
If visitors stay longer than planned, they can return to the pay station to pay the additional balance owed.
The system is ticketless, and the barrier will lift automatically on exit once payment has been completed.
Parking charges start at 50p for up to 30 minutes, £1.50 for up to two hours, £2 for up to four hours, and £4 for a full day.
Staff will be on hand to help visitors with the new system and answer any questions.
Loch Lomond Shores believes the new parking fees will help fund essential upgrades and provide a more sustainable future for the attraction.
Additional information about the parking scheme, including frequently asked questions and full details of the new charges, is available on the Loch Lomond Shores website at Parking – Loch Lomond Shores.
Yee Haw cowboy – Las Vegas on the Loch. Nothing more, nothing less. The fusion of vested commercial interest lurking under the benevolent guise of a National Park authority.
And more filching the public purse to come as the government consider the Flamingo Land development. The security fencing around the loch is well underway from luxury chalets, to luxury hotels, to super luxury golf courses, and oh how the Orwellian little local animals look at the splendour of big money making. Donald Trump or Bugsy Seigel as the mobster developer of Las Vegas would be proud.
But back to Lomond Shores. Who and or what is it. Well for starters, it may be the Gateway to the National Park but it is not the National Park. come to pass, Lomond Shores is not the national park.
From what I can gather Loch Lomond Shores, is a retail and leisure destination, which was purchased in 2017 by The Waterfield Group, led by entrepreneur Donald Waterfield, from a previous Isle of Man fund, Sapphire Enterprises Limited. The site is managed by Loch Lomond Shores Management.
And so the site is privately owned by The Waterfield Group, albeit that it operates under the cover of the National Park with involvement from public bodies.
So, charging to visit the Loch side Shores is where we are. Pay up all thee wanting to visit the National Park. Theres money to be made, pockets to be lined, and don’t it now half show.
Follow the money. Its an old saying, but very apt. Yes follow the money !