Money collected from two Highland car parks is being returned to their communities after Highland Council confirmed that the land belongs to local Common Good Funds.
The decision means income generated through the invitation to pay parking scheme at Ardvonie car park in Kingussie and the Village car park in Grantown on Spey will benefit their respective towns.
Members of the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee were informed that both sites had been identified as Common Good assets during the latter part of the 2025/26 financial year.
Since the voluntary payment scheme was introduced in 2023, the two car parks have generated a combined £8,477 after operational costs.
Of that total, £3,542 has been attributed to the Kingussie Common Good Fund, with £4,935 allocated to Grantown on Spey.
Common Good Funds hold money and assets for the benefit of local communities, providing a means of supporting projects and improvements within the areas they serve.
The confirmation of ownership means that income collected from parking on the two sites will now be directed towards the appropriate funds, with future decisions taken by local councillors through the area committee.
Committee Chair Councillor Russell Jones welcomed the clarification.
“Members welcome that the matter of rightful land ownership and income to the Common Good Funds has been confirmed and that arrangements are now in place to allocate parking income to the correct funds.
“The invitation to pay scheme has been successfully running for three years now and I’m pleased to see the scheme continuing to generate income that can be invested locally through clear arrangements.
“All future Badenoch and Strathspey parking income will be reinvested in local and area-wide projects aligned with the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Place Plan, using established Ward Discretionary Fund governance arrangements.”
The committee also considered income from other council owned or managed car parks operating pay and display or invitation to pay arrangements across Badenoch and Strathspey.
A further £12,717 was identified as earmarked parking income for the area during the 2025/26 financial year.
Councillors agreed that this money should be distributed according to priorities identified in the Badenoch and Strathspey Area Place Plan, with a clear division between projects close to individual car parks and those benefiting the wider area.
Under the agreed arrangements, 50 per cent of earmarked funds will be available for projects in the immediate vicinity of the car park generating the income.
The remaining 50 per cent will support projects across the wider Badenoch and Strathspey ward, allowing communities beyond the individual parking locations to benefit.
Applications for funding will follow the existing Ward Discretionary Fund process, providing an established route for considering local projects.
The arrangements give communities a clearer picture of how parking contributions are being used and where the money generated within their towns will be directed.
For Kingussie and Grantown on Spey, the recognition of the car parks as Common Good assets also establishes where future income from those sites belongs.
The decisions mean money raised through local parking arrangements can contribute to improvements and priorities identified by the communities themselves.
