A row over who is responsible for paying for a flyover at a north-east road junction was re-ignited last night after the Scottish Government said a major development should not go ahead unless one is built.
Roads agency Transport Scotland said the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee trunk road must be upgraded at its junction with the A937 Laurencekirk-Montrose route as a condition of plans to turn Montrose Airfield into a business park being approved.
Officials have told Angus Council that the move would be necessary to ensure the trunk road was not “adversely affected” by proposals to convert the site into offices and facilities to support offshore renewable energy developments.
The application has been submitted by the John Lawrie Group, which is headquartered in Aberdeen, and has yet to be considered by Angus Council’s planning committee.
Transport Minister Keith Brown has previously said developer contribution was a “fundamental principle” to any infrastructure improvements.
But Montrose and District councillor David May insisted that it was up to SNP ministers to pay for a flyover, which could cost between £13million to £29million.
“The government should be funding it because this company cannot possibly afford to pay for a junction,” he added.
“Angus Council has had to consider considerable savings and for us to find millions to pay for a flyover is inconceivable.”
But Montrose campaigner Jill Fotheringham, who has been fighting for a flyover since 2004, claimed the local authority must act because a development of this size would have a “catastrophic effect” on the junction in terms of additional traffic.
“Whilst I know it is situated in Aberdeenshire, any developments in Montrose are having a huge impact on an already saturated junction,” she added.
“Angus Council’s continued blatant disregard for the safety of commuters on this road is nothing short of reckless.”
North-east Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said the government must step in and resolve what he called a “boundary issue” because although the junction is in Aberdeenshire, improvements would benefit people in Angus.
He added that while he thought the government should be funding the flyover, developers should make an “appropriate contribution” if projects would benefit from the project.
No one at the John Lawrie Group was available for comment.