THE SCOTTISH Government will be asked to approve a new road bridge across the River Tay despite furious objections by historic Scone Palace.
The next stage in creating the controversial new cross-Tay link road could be crossed this month.
The long-awaited £100 million bridge is needed to divert traffic away from Perth’s pollution-choked streets and forms a major part of the local council’s planning strategy.
A mammoth planning exercise undertaken by Perth and Kinross Council in the last three years will eventually result in a new Local Plan.
One of its keystones is the new Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) which, under current proposals, would be built at Scone, with a link road from the A9 to the A93.
The option chosen for the bridge would see it constructed close to the palace, sparking a backlash from the owners, Scone Estates.
Local builders are also angry about a proposed development embargo on land around the CTLR route pending it becoming a “committed project”.
But the council is set to forward its proposed plan to the Scottish Government without further modifications.
Scone Palace and Estate had called for a more northerly route for the CTLR to be settled on.
Its representation stated it: “Supports the principle of a cross-Tay link road but has significant objections to the route proposed in the proposed plan.
“This route comes directly through the designed landscape and the proposed green belt.
“It sits directly in the setting of Scone Palace, one of Perthshire and Scotland’s most historic houses.
“The route comes within close proximity to both the historic schedule monument of the Roman camp site and areas of ancient woodland and semi-natural ancient woodland.
“It also severs one of the estate’s key farms, creating a large loss of agricultural land and complicating the management of that farming unit.
“The height of clearance required for the bridge to cross the A9, the railway and the Tay in a single span will be significant and will create a bridge and associated road accesses which are highly visually intrusive and will also affect the estate’s fishing business.”
Historic Scotland has backed the stance, calling for “a substantial programme of mitigation and archaeological investigation” during the project.
Also of concern to the construction industry is a proposed embargo on planning consents for further housing for sites of 10 or more outwith Perth on the A93 and A94 corridors, until such time as the construction of the CTLR is a committed project.
Homes For Scotland, which represents builders, said there are fears if major infrastructure projects must be funded and in place first, it gives firms no chance to plan ahead.
Firms such as A&J Stephen and Stewart Milne Homes have echoed that opinion.
The council had previously stated: “The biggest single constraint facing the Perth area is the capacity of the roads infrastructure in and around Perth.
“Not only is congestion becoming a problem but the council was required to identify Perth as an Air Quality Management Area due to the levels of pollution evident in several areas of the city.
“Modelling work has shown that all the allocations in the Proposed Local Development Plan cannot be delivered without the CTLR in place.”
A raft of paperwork will be considered by a full meeting of Perth and Kinross Council on January 23, including the various representations made by the public.
arichardson@thecourier.co.uk