Fisherman
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I have been in discussion with the above trust head of operations Robbie Blythe, who has been very forthcoming, and helpful towards us.
I have tried and failed to keep the other thread on topic, and have started this one. I reckon many of you will have stopped reading the other thread, hence this one.
First here’s an email I sent to the trust and a reply from Robbie.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I spent two nights at your Elie Ruby Bay carpark last week and got into a conversation with two of your parking attendants.
We discussed the proposed development of new toilet facilities at the carpark, and in addition the possible installation of a chemical waste point. We discussed the problems you had suffered, when some motorhome owners ignored signage asking not to empty their cassettes into the previously installed public toilet, something I have never done, and most of us would never do. Your attendants explained that if a chemical waste point was installed it would lead to contamination of your sceptic tank.
I feel it's important that you do install a chemical waste point, because if you don’t, your problems will only multiply. Sadly there are some amongst us who think this kind of behaviour is acceptable, and although a minority they will continue to do so, diss regarding any signage you place forbidding this. This will in turn still lead to damage to your sceptic tanks, as well as poor hygiene standards within the proposed new toilets. I appreciate that there are costs involved in this, and I can only apologise for this poor behaviour which is creating this issue.
Can I also point out another issue. The current system you have in place for overnight parking involves showing a parking ticket within our motorhome. But many motorhomes owners use external covers, making it almost impossible for them to display their tickets from within their vehicles. I would have thought it would have been better to use the Ringo method of payment instead, negating the need for displaying parking tickets. I have also had problems in the past making payments with the current system.
Finally, I would just like to thank Fife Coastal Trust for all you have done for motorhome owners in recent years. I know you have had, and will have issues, and I really am sorry for this, but you have shown great patience, which is very much appreciated by the vast majority of us in our community.
Here’s Robbie’s reply
Dear William
Thank you for talking the time to email Fife Coast & Countryside Trust (FCCT) with your feedback and thoughts on the provision of overnight parking.
The new toilet building should be in place for the end of February, and it was always our intention to instal a chemical waste disposal point however this has been problematic as has the installation of parking meters.
Chemical Disposal Points & Public Toilets
It was our original intention to connect the new toilet block to the village utilities network thus negating the need for a septic tank and offering up an opportunity to direct all waste to the Scottish Water sewage network. After consultation with local stakeholders, we were advised that sewage network didn’t have the capacity for additional effluent and therefore a request was made to use the septic tank instead.
It’s not best practice to use a septic tank for a chemical disposal point (CDP) though we have made adaptions within the new toilet facility that’s to be installed and for a Trial Period it will operate with a CDP. Looking ahead if there is no negative impact on the septic tank, we will keep the CDP in place however if it proves problematic and to the detriment of Public Toilet provision, we will review our options.
Once the public toilet is back in place, we will also provide overnight access to one compartment therefore giving those who park overnight the option to use their vehicle toilet or the public toilet block.
Parking Ticket Display
The introduction of the parking charge was to primarily control inappropriate parking and so far, the scheme with a few exceptions has worked well. Unlike the commercial parking sector our focus is on sustainable access for all at the minimum costs. As we are a small charity it would be quite expensive requiring a lot of back-office support to use an online platform like “RingGo” however as we look to the future it’s not a scheme we would rule out. At FCCT it is our intention to manage our sites in a way that’s empathetic and considerate and if staff cannot see a ticket because of a window cover they make allowances.
In the spring we are looking to expand the provision of overnight parking to other locations however in the meantime this link takes you our dedicated page that encourages sustainable overnight parking currently at 5 carparks (23 overnight bays) . We also undertook a feasibility study several years ago now that has helped make the case for our positive approach and it is anticipated by the start of April this year we will have another 4 carparks online with an additional 24 overnight parking bays.
Should you wish to discuss overnight parking or share further please don’t hesitate to contact me and thank you for your kind words regarding the work we undertake at FCCT.
Best Regards
Robbie Blyth
Head of Operations
Fife Coast and Countryside Trust
Pitcairn Centre
Moidart Drive
Glenrothes
Fife
KY7 6ET
Tel. 03451 55 55 55 ext. 444981
Mob. 07940774065
https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk/
I have tried and failed to keep the other thread on topic, and have started this one. I reckon many of you will have stopped reading the other thread, hence this one.
First here’s an email I sent to the trust and a reply from Robbie.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I spent two nights at your Elie Ruby Bay carpark last week and got into a conversation with two of your parking attendants.
We discussed the proposed development of new toilet facilities at the carpark, and in addition the possible installation of a chemical waste point. We discussed the problems you had suffered, when some motorhome owners ignored signage asking not to empty their cassettes into the previously installed public toilet, something I have never done, and most of us would never do. Your attendants explained that if a chemical waste point was installed it would lead to contamination of your sceptic tank.
I feel it's important that you do install a chemical waste point, because if you don’t, your problems will only multiply. Sadly there are some amongst us who think this kind of behaviour is acceptable, and although a minority they will continue to do so, diss regarding any signage you place forbidding this. This will in turn still lead to damage to your sceptic tanks, as well as poor hygiene standards within the proposed new toilets. I appreciate that there are costs involved in this, and I can only apologise for this poor behaviour which is creating this issue.
Can I also point out another issue. The current system you have in place for overnight parking involves showing a parking ticket within our motorhome. But many motorhomes owners use external covers, making it almost impossible for them to display their tickets from within their vehicles. I would have thought it would have been better to use the Ringo method of payment instead, negating the need for displaying parking tickets. I have also had problems in the past making payments with the current system.
Finally, I would just like to thank Fife Coastal Trust for all you have done for motorhome owners in recent years. I know you have had, and will have issues, and I really am sorry for this, but you have shown great patience, which is very much appreciated by the vast majority of us in our community.
Here’s Robbie’s reply
Dear William
Thank you for talking the time to email Fife Coast & Countryside Trust (FCCT) with your feedback and thoughts on the provision of overnight parking.
The new toilet building should be in place for the end of February, and it was always our intention to instal a chemical waste disposal point however this has been problematic as has the installation of parking meters.
Chemical Disposal Points & Public Toilets
It was our original intention to connect the new toilet block to the village utilities network thus negating the need for a septic tank and offering up an opportunity to direct all waste to the Scottish Water sewage network. After consultation with local stakeholders, we were advised that sewage network didn’t have the capacity for additional effluent and therefore a request was made to use the septic tank instead.
It’s not best practice to use a septic tank for a chemical disposal point (CDP) though we have made adaptions within the new toilet facility that’s to be installed and for a Trial Period it will operate with a CDP. Looking ahead if there is no negative impact on the septic tank, we will keep the CDP in place however if it proves problematic and to the detriment of Public Toilet provision, we will review our options.
Once the public toilet is back in place, we will also provide overnight access to one compartment therefore giving those who park overnight the option to use their vehicle toilet or the public toilet block.
Parking Ticket Display
The introduction of the parking charge was to primarily control inappropriate parking and so far, the scheme with a few exceptions has worked well. Unlike the commercial parking sector our focus is on sustainable access for all at the minimum costs. As we are a small charity it would be quite expensive requiring a lot of back-office support to use an online platform like “RingGo” however as we look to the future it’s not a scheme we would rule out. At FCCT it is our intention to manage our sites in a way that’s empathetic and considerate and if staff cannot see a ticket because of a window cover they make allowances.
In the spring we are looking to expand the provision of overnight parking to other locations however in the meantime this link takes you our dedicated page that encourages sustainable overnight parking currently at 5 carparks (23 overnight bays) . We also undertook a feasibility study several years ago now that has helped make the case for our positive approach and it is anticipated by the start of April this year we will have another 4 carparks online with an additional 24 overnight parking bays.
Should you wish to discuss overnight parking or share further please don’t hesitate to contact me and thank you for your kind words regarding the work we undertake at FCCT.
Best Regards
Robbie Blyth
Head of Operations
Fife Coast and Countryside Trust
Pitcairn Centre
Moidart Drive
Glenrothes
Fife
KY7 6ET
Tel. 03451 55 55 55 ext. 444981
Mob. 07940774065
https://fifecoastandcountrysidetrust.co.uk/
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