widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

News / Motion calls for halt on airport car parking charge

The Sumburgh Airport car park. Photo: Hans J Marter/Shetland News

A MOTION is due to be presented at next week’s full meeting of Shetland Islands Council urging Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) to halt its proposed car park charge at Sumburgh Airport.

The motion, signed by interim leader Steven Coutts and transport committee chairman Ryan Thomson, says the implementation of the £3 a day charge should be stopped until an “islands impact assessment” is carried out on the proposal.

The airport operator must also “demonstrate the alternatives [it] considered to provide a balanced budget”.

HIAL announced in March without any consultation that it plans to introduce a £3 a day fee at its Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Stornoway airports from July, prompting criticism from the public and politicians.

It has often been raised that the south mainland bus service does not link into the flight schedule and only departs from Lerwick.

Managing director Inglis Lyon previously said the government-owned company was under “increasing budgetary constraints”.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/0

Transport minster Humza Yousaf visited Shetland on Friday and he said a car parking charge was the “only option” to avoid cuts at the loss-making Sumburgh Airport.

The motion, due to be presented to councillors on 9 May, says “Shetland Islands Council expresses its extreme disappointment” that no consultation was undertaken by HIAL prior to its announcement.

“The council believes the proposal will have a disproportionally negative impact on Shetland residents and calls for an islands impact assessment,” it continues.

It adds that the council “calls on the transport and islands minister for his support to ensure that this happens”.

HIAL is currently undertaking surveys of passengers at the three airports, while a questionnaire can also be filled in at home.

In response to the motion, a HIAL spokesperson said: “We continue to survey airport users, are talking to stakeholders and listening to views within the communities.”

The car parking charges, meanwhile, will be discussed during a debate at the Scottish Parliament next week.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
Categories
widget/exchange-62widget/exchange-53widget/newsletter_form_widget-3widget/exchange-63widget/pd_widget-6widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

  • Removal of third-party ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.