Aldi plans parking clampdown for Highland supermarket
Cameras could be installed in an Inverness supermarket car park to crack down on motorists misusing it.
Plans have been submitted to install automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras at the Aldi car park at Inshes Retail Park.
It follows a clampdown last year on rogue parkers at the nearby Tesco Extra supermarket.
The proposed system at Aldi would be used to monitor the entrance and exit of vehicles.
The application has been submitted to Highland Council by UK car park management company ParkingEye.
An accompanying statement says: “The site is currently used as a car park with 79 parking bays.
“The proposal seeks to provide management of the existing car park to reduce car park abuse and ensure that spaces are available for genuine site users.”
It says the proposed scheme is on land already used for car parking and would have a minimal impact on the landscape character.
“The proposal will ensure that the existing car park is used more effectively and reduces the amount of abuse that currently occurs,” it concludes.
A spokeswoman for Aldi said: “The planning application is for a number plate recognition system as used at many retail sites across the country to ensure maximum availability of parking spaces for customers.”
Last summer, superstore giant Tesco clamped down on rogue parkers at its store in Inshes Retail Park with a £75 penalty for motorists staying longer than three hours.
Following speculation on social media that the time limit might not be long enough to visit Tesco, the adjoining garden centre, and have lunch, the store gave assurances that the penalty would be waived for genuine customers producing receipts.
There was also speculation that parking problems at Raigmore Hospital were behind the measure.
