Members of the community council were enraged to discover that work was to commence next week in McJerrow Car Park without consulting them or the public first.
Chairwoman Jan Andrews sent an official complaint to the local authority about the issue and yesterday she told the Annandale Herald that the proposal was “withdrawn”.
She said: “They’ve paused the proposal. It was supposed to go to the Annandale and Eskdale Area Committee but they withdrew it.
“What is still concerning for me is that the elected members haven’t been told all the information and can’t make informed decision on behalf of the community.
“McJerrow Park car park is common good ground. I was asking how the community would be getting money from this and they couldn’t give me an answer. I’m happy that it has been withdrawn for the time being and I hope they consult with the community council and members of the public about this in the future. I have made a formal complaint about the council to the council after following the procedure I was told to do.”
Her group was concerned that the town’s car parking capacity issue would only get worse with an extra ten spots reserved for electric cars.
Annandale North councillor Gail Macgregor added: “We were asked to note the proposals but have been clear there needs to be meaningful consultation with elected members and the community council.
“Whilst I am in favour of improving where residents and visitors can access EV charging points, the ongoing pressures on parking in Lockerbie are well known and any new proposals cannot be considered in isolation.
“They must be in line with the principles of a Just Transition that does not inadvertently disadvantage our community.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council was repeatedly asked for comment about the issue but failed to respond.
