The council has been accused of hypocrisy over its own climate policy after plans were submitted for a car park on the Greensands in Dumfries.
An application has been made for “improvements” in the area ahead of the proposed multi-million pound Whitesands flood defence scheme.
As part of the submission the council wants to create “contingency parking” to compensate for the loss of spaces on the Whitesands during construction of the controversial scheme.
The plans have already received more than a dozen objections from residents in and around the town over the removal of a green space.
One opponent, John Dowson, a member of the Save Our Sands group, said: “There are many reasons for objection.
“The main ones are that this application is contrary to the conservation area requirements and policies and will bring significant change into a homogenous area.
“It should be refused on that ground alone.
“This application is contrary to the council policy and commitment to the climate emergency that grips our planet.
“It is quite wrong to develop this as a car park which will further encourage car use and decimate a beautiful green space.
“Issues around tree preservation and wildlife protection are reasons for refusal.
“Issues of traffic management, road safety, and poor quality of access particularly for disabled people and people with prams, etc are also valid reasons for refusal.
“There will be road safety conflict for pupils attending the academy.
“All in all I appeal to councillors – there is nothing to commend this application to you and so many reasons for refusal.
“I trust our councillors to consider all of my objections and refuse this application if it is not withdrawn as it should be.”
In June 2019, the council declared a climate change emergency and drafted a 12-point plan to reduce emissions and become a carbon neutral region by 2025.
Engineers Mott MacDonald have written a supporting statement explaining the car park will “compensate” for the loss of Whitesands car parking due to flooding, the risk of flooding or events such as the Rood Fair.
It states: “To address the need for contingency parking, alternative parking facilities are required when Whitesands car park is not available for parking purposes.
“The Greensands improvements are intended to compensate for the loss of the Whitesands Car Park as a result of the scheme, but that loss is already occurring, albeit not yet on a permanent basis.”
