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Transport at a Crossroads - An open letter to the Minister

The Chamber, in association with a range of other organisations and businesses across the North-east has written to Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, asking him to make a commitment to a number of key transport priorities for the North-east.

The letter is fully supported by the Chamber’s own Transport Campaign which is raising awareness about key transport issues in the North-east. As part of this, the Chamber is running a Transport Business Breakfast on August. For further details see our Events Section on Page 20.

In addition to the Chamber, signatories included SCDI, Nestrans, ACSEF, Aberdeen and Peterhead Harbours and a number of prominent North-east businesses who want to highlight the frustration which the North-east business community feels over the constant delays to transport infrastructure projects in the region.

The letter opens with a quote from North-east businessman Eddie Anderson, MD of ARR Craib and Vice Chair of Nestrans who says that “ There is a very clear and present danger of the North-east being ignored and frozen out. Delay, delay and delay until it is too late and other events take over – almost time barring our projects.”

“The region is at a crossroads and our significant investment plans for the North-east will allow us to play a key role in ensuring the future economic prosperity that is required not only for the North-east but the whole of Scotland are on hold,” says the letter.

“The frustration that is felt is generated because in order to achieve the additional jobs our plans will create we need to develop the region’s infrastructure, allowing the other unique attractions that our peripheral region has to offer to convince firms to locate in the North-east rather than other parts of the world.”

It continues: “The plans for the region remain affordable and essential in a period of reduced public spending. Even if budgets are reduced by 25% there is still 75% of substantial national budgets available for investment, and what our region needs is a fraction of what is currently being invested in other parts of the country.

“We just need the priority and urgency to be given to our projects - our small share of national investment - to continue to make our much larger contribution to national wealth.”

The document particularly highlights concerns over the lack of progress with the AWPR but also identifies a number of other priorities currently on hold:

• With regard to construction of the Balmedie to Tipperty dual carriageway, urgency should be applied now and the Minister is urged to make a prompt decision.

• Faster progress on the Aberdeen to Inverness rail line study including a station at Kintore would enable a move towards early construction. Evidence of a large increase in passenger numbers achieved through a relatively minor timetable change on this route indicates demand for an improved service.

• The Haudagain improvements have been delayed until after a decision on the AWPR is known, but Government should indicate its support for a particular option now to permit the necessary preparatory works to be done. These can be carried out without prejudicing the Court’s consideration of the AWPR arguments and will allow construction at the earliest possible time.

The letter concludes:

“We are united in our view that these highest priority projects are essential to regional and national prosperity, will lay the foundations to build that prosperity, and that their further delay will compromise the economic future of Scotland. We would request your urgent and renewed attention to these issues, creating the platform for the people and businesses of the North East to generate the economically vibrant future the whole of Scotland needs.

We will all approach an electoral crossroads next May and as we do so we urge all parties to put transport issues at the heart of their campaign plans.”