Western Peripheral Route - Assessment

Modern Transport System - Assessment

Western Peripheral Route - Assessment

Aberdeenshire Council along with other partners in the:

• North East Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS)
• Aberdeen City Council
• Scottish Enterprise Grampian
• Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce

have been developing proposals for transport in the North East of Scotland over the next 10 - 15 years.

These proposals have become known as the Modern Transport System (MTS) for the North East.

This Modern Transport System is a £300m package of measures to be developed by both public and private agencies. The partnership recognised the need to prove that the MTS was the best option for the North East to both the North East public and the Scottish Executive in order to secure the necessary funding to implement the proposals.

The Scottish Executive recently issued guidance to help promoters of transport proposals assess those proposals in a comprehensive way ensuring assessment against scheme objectives, testing of alternatives and public consultation during this process. This guidance is called Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG).

STAG Analysis

The Councils, through NESTRANS, have carried out a STAG analysis of the transport options for the North East. This analysis has shown that the MTS, an integrated package of measures, provides the best option available. The Executive Summary and Overview are printed below. (The Appendices shown in the Overview document will be added shortly).

The MTS STAG has indicated that the integrated package of measures tested provides the best option.

This includes a Western Peripheral Route connecting the A90(S) to the A90(N). Whilst the MTS STAG proves the need for the WPR (it being part of the optimum solution) there is still a need to find the best route for a WPR. STAG has again been used for this purpose.

Part of the route from A90(S) at Charleston to the A96 at Dyce Drive had already been assessed by Grampian Regional Council and has since been endorsed by both Councils. This left the remaining section between A96 and A90(N) to be assessed.

The STAG analysis carried out has assessed options for this section whilst examining traffic and economic implications for the complete WPR.

The Executive Summary, Overview and Appraisal Summary are printed below. (The Appendices shown in the Overview document will be added shortly).

The STAG analysis has led to a recommendation that the Councils adopt a preferred scheme corridor. The procedure for this decision making is as follows:

• On Friday 21 March 2003 a Joint Committee of Councillors from both Councils called the North East Strategic Planning Committee (NESPC) considered a report for Chief Officers of both Councils, making a recommendation on a preferred scheme option. This Committee considered the report and recommended a preferred scheme option to both Councils.
  Preferred scheme option: Central route
• Aberdeen City Council considered the recommendation of the Chief Officers and the NESPC Committee and adopted a preferred scheme option at a full Council meeting on 16 April 2003.
• Aberdeenshire Council considered the recommendation of the Chief Officers and the NESPC Committee and adopted a preferred scheme option at a full Council meeting on 24 April 2003.
• The preferred scheme option is now being taken forward to the next stage of design and consultation with a view to publishing appropriate planning orders.