A96 dualling must not be a 'Cinderella' project says Highland MSP
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Calls are being made for the First Minister to act on a commitment to develop the A96 and the Nairn bypass.
Humza Yousaf has reiterated the Scottish Government’s position over the dualling of the A9 and A96, saying that its “commitment is cast iron” about the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Nairn and the creation of a Nairn bypass.
However, Inverness and Nairn SNP MSP Fergus Ewing said he is concerned that the development will become seen ‘of lesser importance’ when compared to commitments to dualling the A9.
He said: “It’s not – it’s of equal importance and the link between Inverness and Aberdeen could be incredibly important, for example in developing economic opportunities in the energy sector over the remainder of the century.
“We must not let the A96 be a Cinderella – it must have its invitation to the ball. It must be in the programme for government.
“The people that live in the Highlands and the north east deserve the same standards of road traffic links as the rest of Scotland.
“Arguably the use of a car or access to a motor vehicle is even more important in the Highlands and the north of Scotland, because there’s never going to be as many or as convenient public transport options as there are for example in the central belt.”
While acknowledging that the verbal commitment on continuing the development is not in doubt, Mr Ewing argued that this might be one of the longest waiting times for a major road project.
“I do think that Nairn is a kind of forgotten town,” he said. “There is an overwhelming desire in there to have a bypass and that’s been the case for as long as I can remember.
“The preparations for any major road improvement involve design of a route, compulsory purchase negotiations for land that needs to be purchased in order to enable the development to be conducted and carried out and then preparations to connect the existing road system to the new road.
“This process is taking far, far too long.
“The almost incredible fact is that the discussions about compulsory purchase of land for the A96 dualling project were initiated in 2013. Why is it taking so long? The commitment was to dual the A96 for 2030. This is disrespectful towards the people living in the north of Scotland.
“I’m calling upon Humza not only to include the A9 but the A96 in his announcement of the programme for government which the First Minister makes at the very beginning of the September term of parliament.”
According to an NHS Highland report, the population of Nairn and Nairnshire increased by 19 per cent in the period from 2002 to 2021.
Nairn BID manager Lucy Harding argued that the delays to the bypass are also delaying the development of the town.
“We remain committed to campaigning for the Nairn bypass and we will do whatever we can to keep it as a high priority for the powers that be,” she said.
“Every year that it gets delayed, we go through more disruption and horrible traffic and it does nobody any good.
“That brings pollution and danger to children and tourists, and the inability to move forward. Everyone says that you can’t do anything in Nairn until the bypass is built. It makes proper development difficult.”
Transport Scotland confirmed that an announcement on the A9 dualling programme is due in the autumn, however there are no plans for this to include any mention of the A96.
In July, it was announced that the review on the future of the A96 dualling programme was further delayed, with the First Minister saying it will be published after September 3 – more than eight months after the original deadline of December 2022.
However, the A96 dualling of Inverness to Nairn (including the Nairn Bypass) scheme is separate from the wider A96 Corridor Review, having already received ministerial consent following a public local inquiry.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are continuing to progress the significant and intensive work required to prepare for publication of made Orders, including the Compulsory Purchase Order, with a view to completing the statutory process as soon as possible. This work includes careful consideration of complex land title information, a vital part of the procedural steps which need to be completed to finalise the acquisition of land and take the powers required to build the scheme. Delivery of the scheme can only commence if approved under the relevant statutory authorisation process and thereafter a timetable for progress can be set in line with available budgets.
“In terms of the wider A96, the plan is to fully dual the route and as part of this process we are undertaking a transparent, evidence-based review of the programme.
“After publication of the initial appraisal report and the accompanying consultation report at the end of last year, we are now pushing forward with the further detailed work to inform the remaining stages of the review. These include a robust appraisal of the retained options alongside a climate compatibility assessment and statutory assessments, with outcomes from this expected to be ready after summer recess for final public consultation, before a final decision can be reached.”
