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Blind woman denied disabled parking space at her home

Margaret and David McGill with their front garden which they were hoping to have converted to a parking bay.
Margaret and David McGill with their front garden which they were hoping to have converted to a parking bay.

A blind woman is desperately seeking help to try and build a driveway outside her home in Thurso.

Margaret McGill wants to build a new access to allow her son to be able to drive closer to her home to pick her up in her car.

The 59-year-old who lives with husband David, 66, claims the council roads department offered to lower the pavement kerbs and wall to gain access.

However, the authority’s housing department have refused to foot the bill for the rest of the required work at her council property in the town’s Holborn Avenue.

She has been told she will need to pay for the works herself which is likely to come to around £5,500.

The local authority said would have no objection to the alterations but confirmed that Mrs McGill would have to pay and seek planning permission herself.

The issue arose after she was told she wouldn’t be able to have a disabled parking bay at the front of her house on the road and she turned down an offer of an alternative elsewhere on the street.

Highland Council pointed out that a disabled parking bay may not be the answer as anyone with a blue badge would legally be able to use the space.

Mrs McGill said: “It’s unacceptable. Roads offered to lower the pavements and take down the wall to start to make a driveway by the council has refused to pay for it.

“We only get pension money so we won’t ever be able to afford to do the work.

“I applied to a charity for support with a grant of £5,500 but we were turned down and now we’re basically stuck.”

She said she has lived in the property for 41 years and was born in the same street, so does not want to move for better access.

A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “A marked disabled parking bay would not guarantee any individual a private parking space as anyone with a blue badge could legally park there.

“A disabled parking bay was offered at a nearby location but was refused by Mrs McGill.

“The council’s housing and roads services have no objection to Mrs McGill creating a driveway and dropped kerb, but the council would not pay for this and she would have to get relevant permissions from planning.”