VisitScotland Awards £588,000 to Pentland Hills Regional Park

That the Parliament congratulates the staff at the Pentland Hills Regional Park on receiving a grant award of £588,000 from VisitScotland’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, which was created by the Scottish Government in 2018; understands that the park will benefit from new car parking, entrance paths, cycle parking and toilet facilities thanks to two separate grants awarded by the tourism organisation; recognises that, given the popularity of the park, the number of visitors far outweighs the number of spaces available at the four main car parks at Harlaw, Threipmuir, Bonaly and Flotterstone; notes that the funding will see an extra 140 car parking spaces created, including more for blue badge holders, with electric vehicle charging points installed in all four car parks, additional bike stands and public bike pump and repair stations; further notes that three new unisex and accessible toilet facilities will be built at Bonaly, Threipmuir and Harlaw car parks and an extra set of toilets near Harlaw reservoir; appreciates that the Pentland Hills Regional Park was successful in a further three further bids through NatureScot, securing £63,992 for an additional six seasonal park rangers, £72,720 for the provision of temporary toilets, and £29,995 for the provision of four estate workers and a supervisor to deliver rapid response and maintenance, and welcomes the investment towards improving the outdoor experience for the hundreds of thousands of visitors to the park every year.