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West Fife MP and businessmen to press Transport Minister on need for new crossing
November 1, 2006 3:56 PM
A number of Fife's leading businessmen and West Fife's Lib Dem MP are teaming up to press the Scottish Transport Minister on the future of the crossing over the Forth.
Willie Rennie MP and Hew Balfour, Chief Executive of Havelock Europa PLC based at Dalgety Bay, are to meet Tavish Scott on Thursday 2nd November. Also to be present are Charles Hammond, Chief Executive of Forth Ports Plc; Alex Hammond-Chambers, Chairman of Dobbies Garden Centres; Fred Bowden, Chairman of Tullis Russell; Neil Donaldson, Chairman of Donaldson Timber and John Paterson, Site Director of Diageo Global Supply, Leven.
They are responding to growing concern and anxiety in the business community over the need to build a new crossing.
"Our local economy must not be jeopardised by any delay in a decision,' said Willie Rennie.
"I am pleased that the early planning for a possible new crossing is under way but as noone has disproved Alistair Andrews', the Forth Road Bridgemaster, powerful evidence on the state of the current bridge we now need a firm commitment to proceed and for the work to begin.
"Of course I don't want to spend money on a new crossing, costing up to £1 billion, unless it is necessary but the Bridgemaster's devastating evidence is clear and has now been reinforced by research that shows the similarly designed Severn Crossing is in an even worse state of disrepair.
"The effect of any unnecessary delay on the local economy - including Edinburgh - could be significant. Now is the time to get on with the job."
Hew Balfour added:
"I want the Minister to understand the concern amongst the business community, not just in Fife, but in Scotland as a whole. Restricting the Forth Bridge to the passage of cars only, which might be the case from as early as 2013, would cause paralysis to the entire road network of central and southern Scotland.
"The M8 and M9 as well as the A985 connecting Dunfermline with Kincardine Bridge, would become impossibly congested, as would the access roads to Edinburgh Airport. As a consequence, the entire area would become unattractive to businesses which operate on a national scale and investment for a generation would be blighted.
"Additionally the congestion would lead to a significant loss of jobs and of job creation throughout the east of Scotland. Preventing the emergence of such a scenario is a vital, making the announcement of a start date on a second Forth crossing an urgent national priority for Scotland."
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