New £400m bypass is the 'best Christmas present ever'

More than 30 years after it was first mooted as a solution to the gridlock gripping Europe's oil capital, the Aberdeen western peripheral route (AWPR) will end the daily misery for countless motorists who have been forced to cross the Dee on a 16th-century bridge which was widened in 1840 to allow horse-drawn carriages to pass each other.

The new bypass, hailed by local politicians and business leaders as the "best possible Christmas present" for the area, will cost at least 400 million.

It is also likely to be the first transport scheme in Scotland to be funded through the non-profit model developed by the controversial Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), established to drive forward investment in Scotland's infrastructure.

But last night, as opponents of the scheme threatened court action against the Scottish Government's decision to give the project the green light, opposition politicians raised concerns about the funding and final costs of the massive scheme, which at current estimates would amount to 14m per mile.

Former Scottish transport minister Lewis Macdonald said that while he welcomed the decision to approve the new bypass, the people of Scotland required an assurance that the funding mechanism chosen for the new road would be robust and able to deliver value for money.

He said: "My understanding is that the (Scottish] Government's intention is to fund the road using private money to be repaid over 30 years – the Scottish Futures Trust model of PPP which was used to fund the Aberdeen schools rebuilding scheme.

"That is my concern. The Aberdeen scheme very nearly came to grief and the concern with this scheme is that, if the AWPR is built on this model, we do not know who is going to come in to provide the private finance."

Nicol Stephen , the Liberal Democrat MSP for Aberdeen South, said: "While I welcome the end of the silence and uncertainty, it is alarming that there is very little detail on the costs and timing of the AWPR.

"This would explain the suspicious timing of this announcement – when the Scottish Parliament is in recess and opposition MSPs are unable to scrutinise the detail."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government confirmed: "The AWPR is being considered for procurement through the non profit model developed by the Futures Trust.

"This has been adopted instead of PFI in cases where value for money assessment of risks, costs and benefits over the life of the asset indicated that a structured long-term partnership arrangement between public and private would offer the most cost effective method of infrastructure delivery."

The Scottish Government has already agreed to meet 81 per cent of the total cost of the project, with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council each contributing 9.5 per cent.

Environmental campaigners have united in condemning the decision to give the bypass the go-ahead. Patrick Harvie, the Scottish Green Party MSP, claimed the decision to approve the bypass made a mockery of First Minister Alex Salmond's visit to the Copenhagen climate summit last week.

"Today, the next working day after the failure of the Copenhagen summit, we see the SNP response to it," he said. "Alex Salmond's administration has issued a slap in the face to everyone who wants to see a successful low-carbon Scotland."

Colin Howden, the director of the pressure group Transform Scotland, also slammed the government for giving the go-ahead to a "a hugely damaging and polluting new road scheme".

William Walton, the chairman of Road Sense, the local group formed to oppose the AWPR, claimed that the costs of building the road could soar to at least 700 million by the time the route is completed.

"Our lawyers will be going through the government's decision and the report on the public local inquiry with a fine-tooth comb and looking for possible grounds for judicial review," he said.

However, the go ahead has been widely welcomed by leaders of both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils and prominent business leaders in the North-east.

Councillor John Stewart, the leader of Aberdeen city Council, said: "Once work on the road has been completed, the AWPR in conjunction with other major city transport projects will impact on traffic and congestion levels in and around the city.

"It is a key piece of infrastructure allowing better access to and movement around the city delivering an even more attractive, business, leisure, retail and tourism destination."

Bob Collier, the chief executive at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said: "This is the best Christmas present that the people of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire could get after waiting for this investment for a quarter of a century."