MOTORISTS visiting Dovestone Reservoir have contributed nearly £340,000 to Oldham Council coffers, figures obtained by the Independent reveal.
Between January 2021 and May 2022, the local authority received income of £223,295 from pay and display machines at the ever-popular Greenfield beauty spot.
In the same period, a total of 4,098 penalty charge notices (PCN’s) were issued at five locations, realising another £114,675.
But legislation restricts how the money can be re-invested. However, Saddleworth ward councillors have repeated calls to the Council to improve the infrastructure at the much-visited location.
After a relatively quiet Spring, Dovestone has again made headlines for a spate of fires in the area, evidence suggesting some were started deliberately.
Thousands of visitors, keen to maximise the fine weather, have flocked to the picturesque site in recent months.
However, that continues to put a strain on stakeholders, including United Utilities, RSPB and OMBC, plus emergency services to ensure those visitors enjoy the area but respect it at the same time.
Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “Dovestone Reservoir has been left with a fraction of the infrastructure it needs to cope.
“Residents are ignored and the generation of this much money highlights what could be available to improve things.
“Government red tape prevents that money from being spent on many vital projects which are desperately needed.
“Surely a sensible approach could be taken, with a more all-round vision of how to improve and manage the facilities at the reservoir.
“All too often, these national spending rules fail to make sense on the ground, and in this case, it’s the residents of Greenfield who have to put up with this chaos on a weekly basis – and more frequently in the summer months.”
Cllr Luke Lancaster added: “As Oldham Council promotes Dovestone as a tourist attraction, they also have a responsibility for ensuring the location is well supported by amenities and staff.
“It must not be forgotten that, in promoting visits to Dovestone, the location is very close to where many thousands of people call ‘home’.”
Cllr Graham Sheldon said: “Some of the income should be spent on the area close by.
“The toilet block is in a dark and dingy spot and we recently heard of an incident of a male exposing himself in the ladies toilet.
“I would suggest the trees surrounding these toilets are removed to create an open space, where people will feel safer.”
An Oldham Council spokesperson said: “The income obtained from parking and penalty charge payments must be used for repairs and maintenance of the car parks and equipment, with any surplus being reinvested into transport infrastructure as set out in the Road Traffic Act.”
OMBC figures for 2020/2021 indicated borough wide expenditure on car parks was £2, 232, 712 against income (including pay and display/ PCN) of £1,699, 675.
The Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (RTRA 1984) governs how car parking charges can be used.
But the statute doesn’t allow for it to be used to raise revenue effectively through taxation.
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