Pressure mounts on Highland Council over lack of vehicle access to Melvich beach
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Hopes are high that vehicle access could soon be restored to a popular North Coast beach after mounting pressure on Highland Council to carry out repair work required.
Traditionally motorists have been able to turn off the main A836 road and onto the 400 metre-long track which leads to a small car park close to Melvich beach.
The track runs through crofting ground, but a cattle grid at the entrance to the route prevented stock from straying onto the A836.
However, it is understood the cattle grid had deteriorated to the extent that stock were able to cross it.
This led to an existing gate - normally left open - at the track entrance, having to be closed and then locked in July after visitors to the beach left it open on a number of occasions.
A crofter involved posted on social media: “The road to the beach was closed as a last resort to get Highland council to do the work required, it was not done out of choice but necessity.”
Portskerra resident Sarah Kerr launched a petition calling on the local authority to have the cattle grid and track repaired.
She said the lack of vehicle access had “caused significant disruption to, and unrest among residents as well as visitors”, and that many local residents and visitors could no longer visit the beach due to mobility problems. And she expressed concern that the locked gate would delay emergency responders from being able to access the beach in the event of an incident.
Her petition has now closed, but it attracted 669 supporters
Mrs Kerr also launched a survey to gauge exactly how the closure of the track was impacting people.
However, it appears there is now a breakthrough with an agreement reached with the local authority for the work to be carried out.
The crofter involved posted: “Let’s keep fingers crossed that we should have the road open again to the Melvich beach very soon."
And she thanked Sarah Kerr “for all her hard work for putting a petition together” and also north, west and central Sutherland councillor Marianne Hutchison for her support.
A Highland Council spokesman said: “The Highland Council does not own or lease any of the track. The track is on land owned by at least two other parties.
“The officer leading on this is getting a quote from a contractor to replace both grids and price engineering work to reduce the frequency at which the grids fill up.
“Funding for the repair will then need to be identified before any work can begin. In the meantime the public can still access the beach by foot as both cattle grids provide side pedestrian/field gates.”
