THE first wave of consultations on Stirling Council’s new Community Parking Management Plan is about to commence.

Residents from the city of Stirling will be the first asked for their opinions on the matter before consultations are launched in other areas throughout the region.

The consultation for the city goes live today (Wednesday, August 29) with citizens able to submit their views online.

The first wave of a similar consultation for Dunblane will start the following week, running from September 5-28.

Interactive drop-in sessions will also be held in the Stirling Arcade on September 6 and 19 for the city consultation before the consultation period closes on October 5.

A drop-in session for Dunblane will then be held on September 11 in Victoria Hall, from 3-7pm to enable participants to engage with council officers, highlight issues on plans and fill in questionnaires.

Councillor Jim Thomson, convenor of the environment and housing committee said: “This is the start of a lengthy process but it is vital the community are involved from the get go.

“A well-managed parking and transport system is key for any successful city but a critical part of getting that right is being able to balance demand for parking without impacting on growth opportunities.

“The aim with this consultation is to start in the city and then spread further afield to ensure we take into account the different dynamics across all of Stirling and come up with the best solution.”

To inform and guide the development of the new community parking management plans, steering groups featuring local elected members, community councils, local business representation and the access panel have been established.

Residents looking to have their say on the future of parking in Stirling are asked to engage with the consultations when they go live online, or attend one of the upcoming drop-in sessions.

Councillor Danny Gibson, vice convenor of environment and housing, said: “Parking and enforcement can be a contentious issue and we know this is the case in certain parts of Stirling.

“It is also an important element of improving the environment and improving our sustainability by limiting congestion and pollution and this consultation is a step in the right direction to addressing those issues.

“We hope the people of Stirling feed into this process to give us their views.”

The Stirling City consultation is hosted at www.stirling.gov.uk/stirlingparking 

Further information on the Dunblane and subsequent consultations will go live on the Stirling Council website from September 5 onwards.