NORTH Berwick Harbour Trust Association has been given the go-ahead to introduce CCTV at the harbour after East Lothian Council planning officers dismissed privacy concerns.
The association has been given planning permission by the local authority to install four cameras, including one outside the public toilets at the harbour.
In a report on the decision, planning officers said they had received one objection which raised the issue of privacy but that it was not a legitimate reason to turn it down.
They said: “The impact of the use of CCTV cameras on the privacy of people is controlled by legislation other than planning legislation.”
The objector, the report revealed, had said the cameras could pose a risk to privacy and questioned where the feed from the cameras would be linked to.
East Lothian Council’s planning officers have approved the plans by the trust to install the new cameras and antennas after ruling they would not have a harmful effect on the conservation area.
The four new cameras will be trained around North Berwick Harbour, with one above the entrance to the public toilets, one on a permanent crane structure at the harbour and two pointing in different directions from a free standing post. Harbour users have reported several incidents in recent months, including the theft of an outboard engine, another boat being set loose from its moorings, and intruders on a fishing vessel.
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