NEWS RELEASE – Greens warn against bypass plan

The Scottish Green Party today warned that the Scottish Parliament should not approve the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) until complaints against the proposed new road relating to the Aarhus Convention and European Habitats Directive have been resolved.

This afternoon’s meeting of the Scottish Parliament’s Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee (1) is set to discuss and approve a series of affirmative orders relating to the AWPR project.

Local community campaigners have lodged complaints to Europe relating to the Scottish Government’s failure to follow due process in progressing the AWPR project, its failure to allow access to information relating to the project, and the project’s impacts on the River Dee Special Area of Conservation and European-protected species. Both of these complaints are currently being progressed by the relevant bodies in Europe.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“With complaints relating to the Aarhus Convention and European Habitats Directive currently under investigation, it would be premature for the Scottish Parliament to approve the AWPR until these have been resolved. Parliament should not be asked to approve any project that still has formal complaints against it being investigated.

“The AWPR is an extraordinary scheme for Ministers to be pushing through during a period of economic and environmental crisis, presumably because they think there are local votes to be bought with it. The Scottish Government should, at the very least, wait for the outcome of the European complaints before committing to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on a road that may do a great deal more harm than good.”

Local community campaigners are currently seeking legal advice on taking the AWPR project to Judicial Review. Sheona Warnock from Road Sense (2) added:

“The AWPR as planned breaches the terms of the European Habitats Directive, and the process followed by Scottish Ministers is in contravention of the Aarhus Convention. Our complaints to Europe are progressing, and are being taken very seriously by everyone except Scottish Ministers. We are currently seeking legal advice, and are likely to take the AWPR project to Judicial Review in the near future.

“Scottish Ministers have admitted that they will not know the total cost of the AWPR project until contracts have been signed with suppliers. The price for the project is currently uncapped, open-ended and surely rising by the day, and Aberdeen City and Shire Councils are committed to paying 9.5% of the total uncapped cost, whatever it turns out to be. I am deeply concerned that many tens of millions of pounds of local taxpayers’ money will be spent on this new road to the detriment of other vital public services or projects.

“Building the AWPR is not the solution to the traffic problems of Aberdeen and the north east, and the money being spent on it could be better spent elsewhere, supporting public transport initiatives and existing road upgrades that would do more to keep Aberdeen and the north east moving.?

Notes

2. Contact details for Sheona Warnock from Road Sense can be provided on request.

1 Comment

I didn’t realise the project was uncapped Patrick. That’s unbelievable in this day and age. It’s also wrong that the SG are pushing it through when formal investigations are taking place.

Otherwise I completely disagree with you. :) Aberdeen has long been in need of a a bypass. You can speak about public transport and all the rest of the lovely things we could have if we paid 90p in the £ in tax. I used to travel to Banff several times a week for a few years. The quickest way was the M90 but the queues at the bridge were horrendous. Sometimes it took over an hour to get through.

I once posted that this same journey by public transport (134 miles return) cost me a small fortune and took nearly 11 hours. We don’t all live in cities with public transport. People who live in rural areas need cars and we need good roads on which to travel.

My nearest shop is 2 miles away. Why don’t I walk? Because I can’t manage to carry my shopping home and also I gave up cycling a few years ago. Rural life would grind to a halt without personal transport. I’m all for a balance between common sense and pollution reduction.

Comment by subrosa — February 24, 2010 @ 11:48 am