An Aberfeldy businessman hopes to open a £5-a-night aire near the Perthshire town.
Oliver Romain hopes his motorhome stopover will attract tourists to the town for a low cost.
He aims to open Camserney Aire on the site of Breadalbane Storage, three miles west of Aberfeldy off the A846, in the coming weeks.
Oliver told The Courier: “We have been wondering what to do with this area of our land – it benefits from safe road access and is in a beautiful spot.
“Up until recently, it was scrub land that had been used as part of a builder’s yard.
“I was looking into the regulations for a small caravan and camping space but it was not really practical for this space.
Aire to be ‘win-win’ for Aberfeldy
“A few days ago I stumbled upon an internet page explaining that aires of fewer than five motorhomes are exempt from licensing if they have an exemption certificate from the Campaign for Real Aires.
“It seemed like a great idea. Many public car parks are out of bounds for motorhome users and some that could be used have height barriers.”
Oliver also hopes that the aire at Camserney will encourage more people to stop off at the town – providing a tourist boost.
He wants other landowners to follow in his footsteps and open their own mini caravan stops.
The owner of Breadalbane Storage added: “Motorhome users bring economic benefits without taking up much-needed housing – it’s a win-win for the community.
“In Aberfeldy we see hundreds of motorhomes travelling through, most don’t stop and this means we are missing out on valuable tourism revenue.”
What is an aire?
Aire is short for the French term aire de service, which means free or low-cost motorhome parking area.
An aire is less formal than a campsite and often offers fewer services. It is sometimes strictly just for overnight parking.
Oliver says camping and “camping behaviour” will not be allowed at his site, with no awnings, tables, chairs or barbecues.
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