Balbirnie House is continuing to make a an ongoing commitment to do whatever we can to help reduce the tourism industry's environmental impact. This commitment is certainly inspired by the 2023 news that The Fife Tourism Partnership has signed The Glasgow Declaration on Climate action in Tourism.
The Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, created at COP26, is a commitment to reduce the tourism industry's environmental impact, led by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and One Planet Network.
We are therefore embarking on a new project which will deliver 10 brand new Electric Vehicle chargers. This project is on an unprecedented scale for our hotel location in central Balbirnie Park.
Our initial investment for EV chargers:
In tandem with this, and joining other hotels the length and breadth of the UK, we are also introducing a further circa £40,000 investment, introducing state-of-the-art camera technology with visitor parking charges via App.
(Our go live date is tbc 7.12.2023)
Here's a map snapshot of the entire 191 mile driving route. Destination 18!
Balbirnie House already has well over 100 parking spaces across the span of the 18 acres around the hotel. On a busy day we can see hundreds of visitors to the hotel, but outwith multiple hour peak daily times, it is a very rare circumstance indeed if all parking spaces are taken 24 hours a day. I struggle to think of any time when we have actually run out of parking spaces, the point being that we clearly have a combined capacity for more parking as is.
The above is stated as a generality across the span of 12 months. We can however face many parking and ev charging issues at peak arrival and departure times, especially across the busiest summer months when we can eg have very large weddings taking place 7 days per week.
Standalone EV chargers are installing in front of the wall lower left.
Technology will also assist, as it currently does with Tesla superchargers, in terms of notifying motorists via App, when full charge is being approached. Same as Tesla, occupying an EV charger after the charge has ended, will incur 'idle charges', the system aligning to ensure as much efficiency and availability as possible. With this in mind, we are also going to make available the current 'No Parking' areas around the turning circle and flags, so that is is possible to charge an EV and then park up longer term just a few yards away.
Our location will be mapped on Parkonomy, which is defined as the UK's leading Car Park Search engine.
EV charging and all guest parking will mainly be via App. It is also going to be possible to reserve EV charging in advance. App is of course so incredibly convenient and easy to use. Having installed the Apps on a phone, and registered, a repeat next time is literally a few seconds and a few clicks. EV charging pricing will be at industry norms, and parking charges will be nominal and / or at lower rates than we see today by UK-wide hospitality industry comparisons. (eg Glasgow city centre can be £25 overnight, I have heard of up to £28 in Stirling, Edinburgh £35)
Head to the centre of St Andrews for an afternoon tea, parking is currently £1.10 per hour. Down to the seaside at Anstruther or Kirkcaldy, payment these days is now via App as well. Head to Edinburgh New Town and street parking is £4.40 per hour!
Our future guest parking around Balbirnie House will initiate at an introductory £1 per hour up to 6 hours, and £10 for 24 hrs overnight stay.
The complete summary:
The perfect parking portfolio would of course never see a parking charge notice being issued, everyone understands the system, and fully appreciates the ease of use.
The accompanying parking signage is being custom-created and designed to our own in-house specifications.
As part of the green future, where possible to do so we will continue to encourage car share, and of course there are already many visitors who arrive by train to Markinch station, or by taxi.
As everything is planned 100% via App, if anyone has technology challenges on the day, (or lack of signal - although we have never seen a lost signal outside), we will of course have handheld tablets and team to assist at front desk on arrival. In what is seemingly an industry first, ability to use the combination of handheld and contactless.
Suppliers please note, all Heavy Goods delivery vehicles are automatically digitally classified as outwith parking requirements.
Local taxis please note, please contact us and we will digitally exempt your vehicle. NB Helpful if you have an EV and wish to charge here!
We also confirm that all wedding industry suppliers of goods and services for events taking place inside or around Balbirnie House, will of course be enabled with complimentary digitalised parking permits.
Similarly,
the same will obviously be applicable for all providers of trades services, carrying out
works in and around Balbirnie House.
We have many future clients who have already chosen Balbirnie House for example, as the destination for their wedding celebrations, specifically because of our many combined efforts with sustainability, and how we operate for example with monthly reviews from our own in-house Environmental Taskforce.
Without doubt, 'the environmental and sustainable tickbox' is becoming more and more relevant to the entire hospitality and tourism sector. Destination travel websites as a further example, are already delivering that very tickbox:
All best wishes,
Nicholas
MD Balbirnie House
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