Lossiemouth West Beach Car Park

What Has the Trust Done for West Beach Car Park?

Since storm damage in November 2024, the Lossiemouth Community Development Trust (LCDT) has led the community effort to secure the future of West Beach Car Park.

Bringing People Together

• Convened the first stakeholder meeting with Moray Council in December 2024 following the initial damage.

• When Moray Council announced in May that the lease would not be renewed, we called a further meeting and formally established the West Beach Car Park Stakeholders Group.

• Organised, chaired and minuted regular stakeholder meetings to maintain momentum and transparency.

• Conducted an online community survey to gather views from residents, visitors and car park users.

Raising Awareness

• Created and manage the Facebook page and web presence to keep the community informed.

• Designed and printed leaflets and posters; installed signage and donation boxes in the car park.

• Delivered four dedicated Car Park Action Days to count vehicle usage and speak directly with users.

• Engaged proactively with local press and media to raise the profile of the issue.

Raising Funds

• Established and manage four online donation platforms, raising approximately £6,000 to date.

• Secured £5,000 from TSI Moray’s Local Action Fund to commission a ground-penetrating radar survey to assess the extent of the damage.

• Promoted participatory budgeting through a coordinated online and poster campaign, successfully securing £20,000 from the Coastal Communities Fund.

Working Towards a Long-Term Solution

• Met with Moray Council and their contractors to fully understand the challenges and explore solutions.

• Consulted legal, engineering, marine, environmental and outdoor activity specialists.

• Visited other coastal communities to learn from their experience.

• Used Coastal Communities funding to appoint specialist engineers and consultants to engage all key stakeholders and develop realistic, fundable long-term options.

• Worked collaboratively with the golf club, watersports association, Moray Council and the landowner to identify a community-focused solution that will secure the car park, improve facilities and protect the area from further damage.

This Is About More Than a Car Park

This is about protecting access to West Beach for future generations.

We don’t yet know what the final solution will be. It is likely to be costly, and we will be competing with communities across Scotland and the UK for funding.

But this beach matters — to our families, our local economy, our wellbeing and our heritage.

And we are committed to doing everything we can to secure its future.