City chiefs brand M8-airport link road plan 'unnecessary'

Airport bosses, which last year handled nine million passengers, had been calling for improved transport links to the terminal as part of its continued expansion.

A report due to go before the council's planning committee concludes that longer term growth at the airport remains "uncertain," adding that a new link between the M8 and A8 would add "considerably" to the financial burden placed on development in the west of the city.

The recommendation that the route be dropped for the foreseeable future follows the decision by the Scottish Government to leave the road out of its strategic transport review, which was announced in late 2008.

However, council officials have recommended the go-ahead for a 55m programme of improvements to the road network in the west of the city.

The airport link road, which would cost between 36m and 51m, formed part of a study known as the West Edinburgh Transport Appraisal (WETA). The report concludes: "The WETA suggests that an M8 link is unnecessary in the interim scenario. Any requirement will not emerge until the long term and is dependent to a considerable extent on whether airport traffic grows at the rate in current forecasts."

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, which has campaigned for the new link road, said the council was "dead wrong" to rule it out. Graham Birse, the chamber's deputy chief executive, said: "This mile of road would be the most cost-effective investment in the motorway network in Scotland.

"I don't see any reason why it should not be built. Edinburgh Airport is the only airport in Britain that has a one-way road in and a one-way road out.

"BAA have done a great job in investing 75m this current financial year in improving the airport. Given the scale of that investment, it would seem that not investing in the surrounding infrastructure risks stunting the airport's growth."

Gordon Dewar, managing director of Edinburgh Airport, said: "The long-term plan to have a link from the M8 to the airport remains undiminished. However, we accept that in the interim period, the decision to press ahead with it will be kept under review.

"BAA Edinburgh Airport has been fully involved in the West Edinburgh Transport Appraisal study. We will continue to work with our partners to assist the city in realising its ambitious vision for west Edinburgh."

Despite rejecting the link, council officials recommend 55m worth of measures, including 37.4m on creating a bus lane on the M8's hard shoulder and work to deliver bus priority measures on the A89 corridor and 7m plans to dual Eastfield Road, which runs from the A8 to the airport.