A controversial road plan which may disturb ashes scattered in the grounds of Perth Crematorium could be challenged through the courts, a community council has warned.
Luncarty, Redgorton and Moneydie Community Council goes as far as to claim that the A9/A85 road scheme could breach the human rights of families who have placed the remains of loved ones within the grounds.
Community council chairman Alex Cook has written to Perth and Kinross Council saying the proposal to take in a strip of the crematorium grounds for the link road could become the subject of a legal challenge.
Families believed that the remains of relatives would be disturbed and to proceed with the road construction would be “a contravention of human rights” as enshrined in law, he said.
Mr Cook urges councillors to reject the proposal or risk a backlash.
“Given the emotive impact of disturbing memorial land, we would urge councillors to reconsider this proposal and to deliberate more carefully the other options available to then before proceeding with this planning application,” he says in his letter.
“Approving this planning application and disturbing the human remains of the loved ones of their constituents would result in councillors being held culpable of abusing the human rights of their constituents.”
The letter adds: “It is our intention to work with community councils, residents associations and others to use all legal instruments and courts at our disposal to raise a legal challenge to stop Perth and Kinross Council proceeding with this application in order to safeguard the human rights of affected individuals throughout Perth and Kinross.”
The road is part of a council masterplan to ease congestion on the city’s western edge with a road linking Crieff Road and Inveralmond via a bridge over the bypass.
The proposal would go along the edge of the grounds of the crematorium and shave off a strip of land which has been used for scattering ashes.
The local authority points out that the official remembrance garden is not involved but many objections have been received calling for a rethink and nearly 2,400 people have signed a petition in opposition to the plan.