Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, and Councillor Grant Laing (SNP) have welcomed agreed-upon actions by Perth and Kinross Council to tackle dirty camping around Clunie Loch.

The actions, which were agreed at an online meeting attended by Mr Swinney, Mr Laing, council officials and local residents, are the most concrete steps taken so far to tackle the issue.

It was agreed by Perth and Kinross Council to make the A923 (the main road passing by Clunie Loch) a clearway, thereby prohibiting any vehicles from parking by the road. To ensure access to the loch is still available, a drop-off point will be created and alternate parking arrangements will be set up nearby. 

Looking ahead, steps will be taken to prohibit parking on all the roads directly surrounding the loch. It was further agreed that temporary signage would be erected in the coming weeks, with more permanent signs to be put in place in the months ahead.

To monitor and continue driving this progress, land owners, local residents and users of the loch will form a steering group. This will be chaired by Cllr Laing.

Commenting, Mr Swinney said:

“This concrete commitment by Perth and Kinross Council officials is welcome, and I thank them for taking seriously the concerns of local residents.

“Dirty camping is a blight on our communities and damaging to the local environment. Having engaged with this issue for a number of years, I am pleased to see a fresh impetus to tackle it at council level.

“I will continue to put forward the concerns of my constituents, with a view to ensuring further action is taken around other dirty camping hot spots across Perthshire.” 

Cllr Laing added:

“As elected representatives, we have a responsibility to safeguard the environment and reputation of rural Perthshire.

“To that end, I’m glad that council officers have been able to work with myself, John Swinney and local residents to take tangible action to address this issue. This is not a silver bullet, but it is a clear sign of intent.

It is important that we carry this momentum forward to ensure we are doing all that we can to protect our beauty spots.”