Plans for 7mph limit across loch are dropped

PLANS for a 7mph speed limit stretching across the main body of Loch Lomond were abandoned yesterday after a lengthy campaign by businesses who said it would damage the local economy.

Officials at the Loch Lomond National Park Authority confirmed that the speed limit for most of the loch will remain at 56mph so that water-skiers, jet-skiers and other powered craft can still use the main channel.

However, the existing shoreline limit of 7mph will be extended to the islands off Luss and other environmentally important areas.

Initially, the authority had planned to have a large speed restriction over much of the loch. But opponents argued that reducing the speed limit would deter visitors who use the loch for watersports, just as it has on Windermere. A maximum speed of 10mph was introduced on the Cumbrian lake in 2000.

Loch Lomond National Park Authority chairman, Gillie Thompson, denied officials had been forced into a U-turn, insisting instead that a balance had to be struck between conservation and business. He said: "We think that the proposals are both fair and workable."

Fishermen, who pay £150 a year to fish on the loch, have complained that the noise of the jet-skis disturbs the fish stocks in the shallower waters round the islands, pushing salmon and other fish into deeper water. And wildlife experts warned earlier this year the number of birds on the loch has declined.

But Kevin Lillburn, of the campaigning group Fairplay Loch Lomond,

said: "We would not regard this as a victory, although obviously we welcome any reduction in the scope of what was originally planned.

"We feel that there's no evidence that [the proposals] are relevant or that they are going to be effective."

George Boyd, the chairman of Friends of Loch Lomond, said it would have made more sense to ban jet-skis rather than introduce regulations that will impact on responsible loch users. However, jet-skis are classed as powered craft and according to bylaws cannot be banned without including boats as well.

However, Dugald Scott, whose family owns the island of Inchmurrin, said: "Fewer boats used the loch this year than last year. There is no evidence to suggest the boats are causing environmental damage. Jet-skis were a problem five years ago, but that fad seems to have passed."