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Chamber and committees

Dualling of the A96 from Inverness Smithton to Auldearn and the Nairn Bypass

  • Submitted by: Fergus Ewing, Inverness and Nairn, Scottish National Party.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 April 2024
  • Motion reference: S6M-12866
  • Current status: Achieved cross-party support

That the Parliament notes the longstanding commitment of the Scottish Government to dual the A96, including the provision of a Nairn bypass; understands that, to date, no sections of the road have been dualled, despite approximately £37 million having been invested in preparatory design and other work; notes that the made orders have now been issued but that, it considers, these are several years late; understands that the Scottish Government has not made any commitment regarding when the dualling of the Smithton to Auldearn section of the road, including the Nairn bypass, will be delivered, nor when it will go to procurement; believes that the uncertainty around the delivery of the project is causing widespread concern and anger, especially in Nairn and Nairnshire; notes the calls on the Scottish Government to make a full ministerial statement in order to dispel any uncertainty and make clear and set out when the dualling of this section will be delivered and completed; considers that, in light of it being close to the end of the third year of the five years of the current parliamentary session, if there is no such clarity provided by the Scottish Government soon, substantial prejudice will be caused to the successful creation of significant economic and social development, including major jobs creation and house-building projects, which are, in part, dependent upon the delivery of the dualling of this section, and believes that even the process of getting to the stage of issuing the made orders for this section of the A96 has taken longer than any major dualling programme that has ever been promised by any administration in Scotland.


Supported by: Jeremy Balfour, Colin Beattie, Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Jackson Carlaw, Sharon Dowey, Annabelle Ewing, Murdo Fraser, Rhoda Grant, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Craig Hoy, Stephen Kerr, Edward Mountain, Ash Regan, Douglas Ross, Graham Simpson, Colin Smyth, Annie Wells, Tess White, Beatrice Wishart