SCOTLAND BECOMES ROADS BATTLEGROUND

Today the Scottish Executive announced the go-ahead for the controversial Aberdeen Western Bypass [1]. With a new protest camp set up against the Dalkeith Bypass, outside Edinburgh, and a legal challenge launched against the hugely controversial M74 in Glasgow, Scotland looks set to become a roads battleground.

The Scottish Executive today announced not one, but two roads in Aberdeen - the Milltimber Brae route plus an additional new road from Stonehaven. Local campaigners have described the scheme as "fundamentally flawed and unsustainable" [2]. The estimated cost for the completed road will be between £295 million pounds to £395 million pounds.

On 31 October 2005 a new protest camp was set up in trees in Dalkeith Park, which face the chop due to the Dalkeith Bypass [3]. They remain in occupation despite being served with an eviction notice on 24 November, and their numbers are growing.

The £500 million M74 Extension was controversially given the go-ahead earlier in March 2005, after the Scottish Executive overturned the findings of the independent planning inquiry [4]. Friends of the Earth Scotland and local alliance, JAM74 [5], have launched a legal challenge [6] to the decision to ignore the inquiry, and have launched a 'Beat the Bulldozer' pledge [7].

Rebecca Lush of UK anti-roads alliance, Road Block said:

"The Scottish Executive seems to have gone roads crazy. First we had the insane M74 decision, now we are seeing the re-emergence of the roads protest camp at Dalkeith in Edinburgh. Today they have given the go-ahead to not one, but two roads in Aberdeen. They are on a collision course with climate change, common sense, and local opinion. Direct action is inevitable."

Notes to Editors:

[1] http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/12/01094349

[2] http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/press/pr20051201.html and http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/nation/aberdeen_bypass.html

[3] http://www.save-dalkeith-park.org.uk/

[4] http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/members/jam74/pli.html

[5] http://www.jam74.org/

[6] http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/press/pr20050502.html and http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/about/m74_appeal_intro.html

[7] http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/members/jam74/beatpress.html

[8] Road Block is an alliance of community groups and campaigners against road building. See www.roadblock.org.uk for more information on our work.

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