Aberdeenshire Council has told a north-east community group battling to reduce parking congestion in their village that it cannot intervene.
Boddam Community Association has called on workers from a large fish processing factory to stop leaving their cars parked outside local homes and park at the shore front factory instead.
Association member Sam Coull has been lobbying both Thistle Seafoods and council in his effort to free up space on the village’s narrow streets.
But now the council’s roads boss in Buchan, Derek Murray, has told Mr Coull and his association colleagues that his proposal to create on-street residents parking zones will not be backed.
In a letter to the association, Mr Murray said: “I can confirm that council officers have been aware of the issue. I note your suggestion that resident-only parking signs could be erected to help local residents with their parking problems.
“However I can confirm that Aberdeenshire Council does not currently have any on-street ‘residents parking zones’ and we have no proposals to introduce such measures.”
Mr Murray said enforcing such schemes in the north-east would be “prohibitively expensive” for the taxpayer.
He added that introducing other parking restriction such as limited waiting periods would apply equally to residents and visitors.
Mr Coull, a former local councillor, has stressed that he and the association are supportive of Thistle Seafoods presence in the village as a big employer.
Managing director Ryan Scatterty has encouraged his staff to find alternatives to parking around the village, including funding five buses to and from the factory at a cost of £80,000 per year.
Thistle Seafoods employs about 450 workers, who need to be at the Boddam factory from as early as 6am to meet delivery deadlines across the country.
The community association has also contacted energy giant SSE which manages the neighbouring power station, suggesting that land be set aside within the grounds for more parking.
SSE, which has recently put the future of the station under review, has declined to comment on Mr Coull’s proposal.
