A community group launched to boost the fortunes of a north-east town has been ordered to halt its weekly fundraising markets.
For the last four years, Peterhead Projects has been holding Saturday morning car boot sales at the town’s St Peter Street car park.
But since work on Aberdeenshire Council’s £5million headquarters started at the site earlier this summer, the sales have had to move to a new venue.
It was hoped Peterhead Projects would resume the weekly event at a nearby car park in York Street, which was opened by the local authority in 2006 at a cost of £370,000.
But after just one day of sales, council chiefs have told the group it can no longer use the 62-space York Street site – because it does not have the land owner’s permission.
Although the council operates the site, it is owned by a third party.
A spokesman for the local authority said last night: “Peterhead Projects were granted a licence to hold a car boot sale but also require the permission of the car park owner in order to hold the sale.
“Aberdeenshire Council requested that Peterhead Projects discontinue the sale until such time as we have had a chance to arrange for surveys of the available capacity, within all the Peterhead public car parks, to take place. Peterhead Projects agreed to this request.”
A sign has been erected at the site entrance, warning that the sales have been “cancelled until further notice”.
A spokeswoman for the group said: “Peterhead Projects is canceling its planned Saturday car boot sales at the town’s York Street car park with immediate effect until further notice.
“All regular and ad-hoc car-booters should note that no sales can take place at the Aberdeenshire Council-operated car park until further notice.”
She added: “The organisers apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
There was some criticism about the project group’s move to York Street.
Nearby resident Stephen Calder, a member of the local community council, made a formal objection to the licensing bid.
He warned council officers that if the application was approved, there would be a “devastating effect on parking in the town centre.”
He said: “Parking has already been displaced with the current building of the new council offices, so there is already a dire shortage of parking places.”