A Travelling people’s site in Inverness is to receive a facelift, amid concerns about fly-tipping.
City councillors will next week be asked to approve expenditure of more than £61,000 to clear the Longman Park site of vegetation and install a hard core surface.
A report to the councillors states that the site’s perimeter, alongside Stadium Road and the salt depot, has accumulated a considerable amount of debris and vegetation, which requires to be cleared.
The report says the origins of the debris are “uncertain” but appear to be from fly-tipping, with the potential to allow a nesting area for rats and other vermin from the nearby landfill site.
Regular pest control in the area has proved insufficient to eradicate the presence of vermin, due to the overgrown vegetation.
The council is now proposing to use a contractor to clear the ground of debris and vegetation, and dispose of it.
The cost of this process is £35,000.
The next stage will be to clear the site and level it in readiness for laying a weed suppressant geotextile barrier.
This will keep the hard core surface free of vegetation and make it easier to manage.
The cost of this stage will be £26,846, bringing the total project cost to £61,846.
Highland Council’s housing service pays an annual rent of £6,000 to the Inverness Common Good Fund for the site, which is managed by the council’s housing service.
After the work is carried out, it will be monitored and maintained on behalf of the council’s housing service by the site manager.
Ward manager Charles Stephen said the work will improve the environment next to the Travelling people’s site and make it more practical to monitor and maintain.
It would also prevent the accumulation of debris to unacceptable levels in the future, and contribute to improved outcomes for the Travelling people who live there.
Councillors will be asked to approve the plans at a meeting in the Town House on Thursday.
