Scottish Government wrangling over upgrading the A90 could already be stifling the county’s economic growth, senior Angus Council figures have admitted.
Chief executive Richard Stiff said prospective business interests will “think carefully” about setting up shop in Angus, unless a flyover is built to meet ever-increasing vehicle numbers near Laurencekirk or the Government’s roads agency relaxes complex planning conditions.
Concerns arose following Transport Scotland’s assertion that a major Angus development could not be occupied until a grade-separated junction was built where the A90 meets the A937.
Neither Transport Scotland nor the Scottish Government have accepted fiscal responsibility for making the upgrades.
The proposed John Lawrie Group business park at Montrose was to contain more than 100,000 square metres of offices on the town’s former RAF airfield.
And a local councillor has warned thousands of new energy jobs are similarly “under threat due to the lack of Scottish Government action” on a flyover.
Mr Stiff told members of the development and enterprise committee that the council is seeking a meeting with local government minister Marco Biagi over how the junction has become a major planning hurdle.
“The current position is we will be seeking a meeting with the local government minister to address this issue,” he said.
“We have made approaches to Aberdeenshire Council to see if they would join us in that. Essentially the principle remains the same across the border is this an appropriate way to develop national infrastructure?
“There are certainly risk factors that may impact on developments around north Angus.”
Council leader Iain Gaul agreed with the deputation to Mr Biagi, adding: “This is an issue that needs to be addressed.”
Last year, the eight-mile stretch of road linking Angus and the Mearns was “named and shamed” as the third most dangerous in the UK.
The A937 between Montrose and Drumlithie taking in the Laurencekirk south junction with the A90 was highlighted in a report by the Road Safety Foundation.
Councillor David May has been a long-standing advocate for changes to the junction for safety reasons, but is now also concerned that businesses will stay away from difficult planning conditions.
He said: “I asked the chief executive about the threat to economic development in Montrose and Angus due to the lack of a flyover, and he seemed to agree with me when he said that there was a risk for future jobs if no flyover is built.
“It appears that there may be problems with getting planning permission and then attracting jobs will be threatened.
“The Scottish Government have massive underspends so I call on them to use some of this to build the flyover before Montrose and Angus loses much-needed growth.”
Last November Transport Scotland reinforced its position that the John Lawrie Group plans could not proceed unless the junction is upgraded.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Road safety is paramount in all that we do and the recent delivery of safety improvements at Laurencekirk has shown a substantial reduction in injury accidents, with no fatal or serious accidents at the southern Laurencekirk junction recorded since 2005.
“However, we are committed to identifying a robust solution for access to Laurencekirk as soon as possible in light of calls for a grade separated junction.
“We are working with partners including NESTRANS who are currently finalising the Access to Laurencekirk study which will form the strategic case for investment decisions.
“The findings will be considered in the context of access to Laurencekirk and planned developments in and around Laurencekirk and to the east of the A90 in Angus.
“A decision will then be taken with our partners on a preferred solution that best meets the objectives for improving the A90 at Laurencekirk.
“The underspend available to the Scottish Government in 2013-14 has been carried forward into the Scottish Government’s budget for 2014-15 for spending on services and is already factored into budget plans.”