- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vehicles use each of (a) the five busiest single carriageway trunk roads and (b) the five least busy dual carriageway trunk roads in Scotland each day and what percentage of such vehicles are (i) heavy goods vehicles and (ii) through traffic.
Answer
Information in the form requested is not readily available, as many trunk roads are a combination of dual and single carriageway sections and traffic flow and road standard along the route varies. It is therefore difficult to define either the busiest or least busy road. The A9, for example, (a mixture of dual and single carriageway) has flows that vary from just over 1,000 to over 29,000 vehicles per day.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given its cost benefit ratio of 24.49, positive net present value of #188.4 million against a cost of #15.15 million and the potential for this investment to produce savings equivalent to this cost in two years, it will consider allocating funds to the proposed A8000 scheme on a loan basis to enable it to proceed as quickly as possible.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to fund the proposed upgrading of the A8000 on a "loan basis". The A8000 is a local road and responsibility for its upgrading rests with the City of Edinburgh Council.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise or Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprise Ltd contributed to the non-capital costs of developing the A701 upgrade proposals being progressed by Midlothian Council.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and I have asked the chairman to reply to the member. A copy of the reply will be placed in SPICe.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights when approving their own planning applications.
Answer
Local authorities cannot grant themselves planning permission for development which they propose to carry out. They are required to follow the procedures set out in the Town and Country Planning (Development by Planning Authorities) (Scotland) Regulations 1981 in cases of such development. Those regulations make provision in certain circumstances for the deemed grant of planning permission by the Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Ministers do not consider that the existing rules about this matter give rise to an infringement of the European Convention of Human Rights.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Midlothian Council to ask them to hold a local public inquiry in relation to the A701 and in particular into its financing, any economic benefits and public transport alternatives not previously considered by the Executive.
Answer
No. The Scottish Executive has no further locus and it is entirely a matter for Midlothian Council to consider whether they wish to hold an inquiry under whatever powers may be available to them.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision on the call-in of the proposals for the A701 has prevented the consideration by reporters at any local plan inquiry of subsequent objections to the local plan.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been made aware in the information provided by Midlothian Council of any possible geological or instability problems on the proposed route of the A701 upgrade.
Answer
The Environmental Statement (ES) which accompanied the Notice of Intention to Develop came to the conclusion that the proposals were unlikely to have any significant effect on the geology and geomorphology of the area. There was also no suggestion in the ES of any likely instability problems.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it received and gave consideration to any objections detailing geological problems or contamination of the Clippens landfill site on the route of the A701.
Answer
No. The Scottish Executive did not receive any objections detailing geological problems or contamination of the Clippens landfill site in relation to the Notice of Intention to Develop in respect of proposed improvements to the A701.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what details relating to the geological state of the Clippens landfill site and substances contained within it were supplied to it in the notice of intention to develop the A701 received from Midlothian Council.
Answer
The statement from Midlothian Council which accompanied the Notice of Intention to Develop indicates that the site investigation into the former Clippens landfill site broadly confirmed that landfill gases are absent, or present only at low levels. The statement also indicates that the design of the new route minimises excavation works in the vicinity of Clippens and notes that, if any contaminated material is excavated, it will be removed to a suitable licensed disposal site and disposed of in accordance with waste management regulations.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given or intends to give Midlothian Council on issues relating to safety on the proposed A701 route following the emergence of a crater.
Answer
National guidance sets out rigorous procedures in respect of the geotechnical aspects of the construction of new roads and it is entirely for Midlothian Council to take account of this guidance in respect of the construction of the proposed A701.
