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Outdoor leisure firms fear heavy cost of licence plans

Outdoor leisure firms fear heavy cost of  licence plans

Outdoor activity providers in the north fear they could be hit with a bill for hundreds of pounds for a special entertainment licence.

The Highland Licensing Board is considering introducing a new requirement for premises providing outdoor sports to be licensing.

They claim that the move would ensure that all health and safety requirements were complied with, including risk assessments.

And licensing off-road driving events is also being examined.

This follows a recommendation by a sheriff following a fatal accident inquiry into the death of a footballer after a freak accident.

Gordon Lennon, who captained Dumbarton FC, was a passenger in a 4×4 which became entangled in a 33,000-volt power cable when the vehicle hit an electricity pole on Brahan Estate in 2009.

Mr Lennon, 26, escaped the wreckage but is thought to have been electrocuted by touching the vehicle.

In his ruling on the case, Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen said that Highland Council should consider licensing off-road driving events on private land.

The consultation was due to finish tomorrow, however the deadline for responses to the consultation has been extended by six weeks.

It means that individuals and companies now have until Friday, March 21 to lodge their opinion with the board. The owner of one Inverness-based activities firm yesterday welcomed the extension.

Donald Macpherson, who runs Explore Highland, said that it was unclear whether the licence would affect his watersports business.

He takes clients out for kayaking, canoeing and white-water rafting trips and has just leased a premises at Clachnaharry to store his equipment.

He said it was unclear whether the proposed rules would affect him, adding: “The majority of providers in this industry are registered with the Adventure Activities Licensing Association, which means they are inspected for health and safety.

“The council’s proposal would mean that some sports are going to be double licensed, and paying twice.”

A Highland Council spokesman said yesterday that the consultation was extended so that officials could gather more information about existing regulation scheme covering outdoor activities.

He added: “The deadline is being extended following a number of representations received from outdoor activity providers and to allow time to obtain further information on the extent to which such activities are already regulated by other authorities/bodies.

“This will be a factor which the committee would take into account at the end of the consultation period when taking their decision on whether such activities require to be licensed.”