The town’s community councillors were enraged to discover that work will commence next month in McJerrow Car Park without consulting them first.
And they are now concerned that the town’s car parking capacity issue is only going to get worse with the ten spots now reserved for electric cars. Five 7kw dual chargepoints with ten bays have been earmarked for the McJerrow site.
At Tuesday’s meeting, chairwoman Jan Andrews told Dumfries and Galloway Council co-leader Stephen Thompson she is going to make a formal complaint about the local authority regarding the issue.
She said: “The council are supposed to communicate with us. We knew nothing about the proposed electric chargepoints at McJerrow car park until we received an email saying this is what’s happening in October.
“I want to make a complaint about the council. We have to consult with them about everything and by the scheme of establishment you’ve got to consult with us, but that’s not happened.
“There’s no car parking capacity as it is at the moment. Now they are proposing taking ten more spaces away. It’s ridiculous and is going to be a nightmare.”
The chargepoints are for public use and will cost motorists 25p per kilowatt to charge their vehicle with a £1.50 minimum charge. However, officials have warned that prices are under review due to the increase in energy costs. Work at the car park will commence from Monday, October 10, and will last for up to three weeks.
After being asked about the proposed chargepoints and the lack of consultation, a council spokesman responded: “If Lockerbie Community Council (or any other community council in the region) has an issue with any aspect of Dumfries and Galloway Council service delivery or planned improvements, they should come to us directly, using our community council enquiry service, where they’ll be responded to.”
