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Official complaint to be launched on handling of M74 public inquiry Joint Action against the M74 (JAM74) are to make an official complaint to Transport Minister Nicol Stephen over attempts to fix the public inquiry into Glasgow's £500 million proposed M74 urban motorway. The complaint follows the appointment by the Scottish Executive of a civil servant from one of the road promoters (Glasgow City Council) as Programme Officer for the public inquiry.(1) JAM74 further understands that this civil servant is being paid for by another promoter of the road, the Scottish Executive trunk roads authority. Will Jess, Chair of JAM74, said: ÒAs if things werenÕt already massively stacked in the favour of the roadÕs supporters, the Trunks Road Authority goes and parachutes in one of their own right at the heart of the supposedly impartial Reporters Unit. This is yet another brazen attempt by the Scottish Executive and Glasgow City Council to bulldoze their destructive motorway project through one of the poorest parts of Glasgow. It further undermines the independence and transparency of this entire process. "The Executive must come to its senses and immediately drop plans for the M74. Ditching the M74 and investing the money instead in Glasgow's public transport would be a far more socially just way of assisting the 59 per cent of Glasgow's households with no access to cars." JAM74 have previously raised the complaint that the planning process for the M74 is inherently flawed in as much as the developer, the planning authority and the planning inquiry process are all led by the Scottish Executive. A final Ministerial decision on the project will also be taken by the Scottish Executive. JAM74 regards this process as potentially being in conflict with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). ENDS Notes to Editors: (1) Programme Officer position In a letter dated 14 November, the Scottish Executive Development Department wrote to all parties involved the forthcoming public inquiry to advise "that Frances Nicoll of Glasgow City Council has been seconded/appointed Programme Officer for the forthcoming public local inquiry." (2) The M74 Northern Extension The most damaging of the Scottish Executive's roads projects is GlasgowÕs M74, the largest urban motorway project in Britain, and perhaps in the whole of Europe. The project, five miles of elevated multi-lane motorway slicing through south Glasgow, is a remnant of 1960s-style roads planning. In March 2003, in a note in an Executive press release, it emerged that the project would cost not £250 million, but between £375 million and £500 million. The Public Local Inquiry into the project is due to start on Monday 1st December 2003. (3) JAM74's objection to the M74 In brief, JAM74 are objecting to the M74 for the following
reasons: * The project is a waste of £375-500 million of public
money because it would not reduce congestion levels in Glasgow. (i) (i) Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies Final Report on M74 Corridor, pp. 35-48 and Figures 5.5-5.17. The report concludes that Glasgow in 2010 with the M74 scheme built Òshows a network which is more congested (even with the additional capacity provided by the M74) than in 2000.Ó (ibid, pp. 42, 5.6.3). (4) Further information For further information see briefing "Heading in the Wrong Direction" - available at http://www.jam74.org END OF NEWS RELEASE |