An overnight parking ban at East Lothian’s coastal car parks is set to be made permanent with a new curfew of 11pm introduced.
East Lothian Council’s cabinet members will be asked to approve the new night time closures, which have been trialled along the coast, after the closing time was changed.
And they will decide whether to allow a number of designated overnight spaces for motor homes at some of the car parks, which will have to be pre-booked by visitors.
A report to cabinet says that since the Covid pandemic coastal car parks in the county have seen an increase in the number of vehicles visiting.
It says: “Camping and motor home activity at coastal car parks has caused damage to the biodiversity of this protected area by the lighting of fires and barbecues as well as generating litter.”
Officers introduced a trial 10pm to 6am ban on parking last year with a very limited number of motor home spaces available for overnight stops.
Now they are asking councillors to allow them to introduce a new ban which will run from 11pm to 4am following feedback from the public and provide additional motor home parking spaces at Linkfield and Whitesands at Dunbar and the Boat Yard, Prestonpans in the future.
There are currently some motor home spaces available at Yellowcraig Beach and Shore Road, Belhaven. It is expected all the spaces set aside for motor homes will have to be pre-booked.
Visitor numbers to East Lothian’s coast have surged since the Covid pandemic leading to extra patrols being sent out to oversee campers and a crackdown on overnight stays.
Last month the countryside rangers reported an ‘alarming amount of human waste’ being found at its sites, in particular at the most popular beach Yellowcraig.
Cabinet will be asked to approve the new order when it meets later this week.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
