Campaigners who fought plans for a new crematorium in rural Angus say a spate of accidents should force Angus Council to consider reversing the decision.
The incidents on the back road near Duntrune include three in one day at the weekend.
They have prompted calls for a re-think of the approval given to Friockheim farmer Guthrie Batchelor for land east of Duntrune House.
In March, Angus development review committee councillors overturned an earlier refusal for the project.
Locals waged a lengthy battle against the proposal.
Mr Batchelor hopes to have the £3m operating by the end of next year.
Objectors say the spate of accidents highlight the site’s unsuitability for the increased traffic the crematorium will bring.
But the farmer has questioned how his plan can be blamed since work has not even started on the development.
No injuries
An accident on June 27 briefly blocked the narrow road west of Duntrune.
On Sunday, there were three single vehicle bumps.
One car ended up in a field, another crashed on a corner close to the crematorium site.
Police Scotland said the June 27 crash and only one of this week’s accidents were reported.
There were no serious injuries and no-one was charged.
Rat-run
Campaigners claim the Duntrune road is a rat-run and has witnessed numerous accidents and near misses.
Current works on Dundee’s Drumgeith Road have increased the number of drivers on the back road, they say.
John Barr, who lives nearby, has written to local councillors asking them to reconsider the crematorium green light.
“The elected members of Angus Council DMRC threw their weight behind supporting the development appeal with apparent contempt and disregard to the numerous genuine concerns relating to the dangerous and unsuitable access routes to and from the crematorium development in all directions,” he said.
“The prospect of a significant increase in daily traffic associated with the crematorium development on these same roads should raise concerns of a consequential increase in road accidents and the risk of serious injury to road users, or worse.
“With three accidents in 24 hours over the weekend, how many more will there be before there is a fatality?”
Farmer’s response
Mr Batchelor said his project could not be blamed for any of the incidents.
“The crematorium is yet to be built so I’m not sure how it can be considered to contribute to any of these accidents,” he said.
“If the council maintained the verges and visibility splays as they are meant to that might help.”
He added: “We are putting in quite a few passing places and the DMRC put on a condition to reduce the speed limit on one of the main roads towards the crematorium.
“We will be fully complying with the conditions which the committee added to the planning approval to satisfy road safety considerations.”
No recorded injury accidents in past month
Angus Council said: “Our road traffic accident datable only includes information on injury accidents provided to us by Police Scotland.
“Police Scotland no longer collect damage only (non-injury) accident information.
“We’ll get information from weekend July 9 from Police Scotland in the next few weeks.
“From 1 June 2023 to 1 July 2023 there were no recorded injury accidents. Therefore, we can’t comment on spate of accidents in recent days.
“Where there are incidents that result in road casualties, we work with Police Scotland and others in investigating the cause and any improvements that may be required to the local road network.”
