Craig Hoy MSP has demanded urgent action from Dumfries and Galloway Council to finally fix Moffat’s historic boating pond, warning that leaving one of the town’s best-known attractions empty risks driving visitors – and vital tourism spending – away from the town.
The Dumfriesshire MSP issued the warning following a meeting with Moffat Community Council this week, where the future of the boating pond and the continuing failure to get it back into use were discussed.
For the third year running, the pond has been left without water and unavailable for visitors and local families.
The boating pond dates back to Victorian times and has been a feature of the town for generations. Mr Hoy said that if the Victorians and everyone since could keep water in it, there was no acceptable reason why the Council today could not find a way to restore it.
He is calling on Dumfries and Galloway Council to urgently establish what work is required, set out how much it will cost and produce a clear plan to have the pond filled and operational before the start of next year’s tourist season.
Mr Hoy said:
“When people visit Moffat with their families, they are coming here for attractions like the putting green and the boating pond. If they arrive and find the boating pond sitting empty, they may simply drive on by.
“This pond dates back to Victorian times. If the Victorians could work out how to keep water in it, and everyone else since, then surely Dumfries and Galloway Council should be able to find a way to keep water in it today.
“It really does beggar belief that in the 21st century we have reached the point where a boating pond which has served Moffat for generations has now been sitting empty for three years.
“Moffat is a tourist town and we should be doing everything possible to encourage people to come here, spend time here and support our fantastic local businesses.
“Instead, Moffat has recently lost its bank, local roads are in a state of disrepair and now, for the third year running, the boating pond remains empty and out of use.
“That is simply unacceptable. Three years is far too long for the community to be waiting for something to be done.
“The boating pond has long been part of what makes Moffat an attractive place for families to visit and attractions like this matter enormously to local residents and to the businesses which depend on visitors coming through their doors.
“The community support is clearly there and the political will should be there. What we need now is for the Council to get its act together, establish exactly what is wrong with the pond and come forward with a proper plan to fix it.
“The aim must be to have the boating pond back up and running by the time tourists start returning in the spring of next year. We cannot simply drift into a fourth year with an empty pond and no solution in sight.”
Mr Hoy also said a lack of funding should not be allowed to become a barrier to restoring the attraction, adding that he would be willing to work alongside Moffat Community Council and others to explore potential sources of funding if required.
“If Moffat loses tourists, the whole town loses out. It means lost revenue for our cafés, shops, pubs, hotels and other local businesses, and ultimately that means lost revenue for the Council as well.
“So money cannot simply be used as an excuse for leaving the boating pond empty indefinitely.
“If additional money needs to be raised to get the pond back into use, then Moffat Community Council, myself and others are ready to look at ways in which that funding could be found.
“But we first need the Council to do its job, determine what is wrong with the pond, tell the community what needs to be done to fix it, establish what that will cost and come forward with proposals and a timetable for getting the work completed.
“Moffat has waited three years already. There should be no question of the boating pond being left empty for a fourth summer.”
