Anti-bypass campaign costs public purse £1.1m

SCOTTISH Transport Secretary Keith Brown has condemned the decision of anti-bypass campaigners to mount a fresh legal challenge against the £400 million Aberdeen western peripheral route (AWPR).

He revealed court action by protest group RoadSense had already cost the public purse £1.1m, speaking on the day the bypass project team had expected to get final clearance for the scheme.

Earlier this week RoadSense sparked an outcry when it announced plans to press for further legal action to block the route. It aims to appeal to the Inner House of the Court of Session over how the route was chosen, provided it can have its exposure to legal costs capped.

Speaking for the first time about the RoadSense action, Mr Brown said: “I share the North East’s deep sense of frustration now that RoadSense has formally indicated to the Scottish Government its intention to appeal.”

He added: “To understand how important this project is for the region’s future prosperity, one only has to look at the 11,000 people motivated to sign a petition in the past few days urging the objectors to finally accept the clear and considered decision of Lord Tyre as well as the outcome of previous consultations and the public inquiry.”

“The Scottish Government has already been forced to spend over £1.1m of taxpayer’s money in successfully defending the scheme against the objections of a small group and it is regrettable that this defence must continue at the expense of the public purse.”

William Walton, chairman of RoadSense, said: “The RoadSense campaign has never been founded on a wish to delay the road. We wish to defeat the current scheme.

“It is evident that many people, including RoadSense and its supporters, are seeking closure on the issue of the AWPR. Like everyone else we wish to see a resolution of the arguments.

“he lengthy legal procedures we have been forced to engage in simply reflect the current state of the Scottish legal system, and the inherent delays that it imposes.”