Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 22 May 2013
22 May 2013 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Haudagain Roundabout
It is wonderful what a by-election will do to focus Parliament on issues that are important to the people of Aberdeen, and the Aberdeen Donside by-election is living up to expectations.
So far, it has been said by the proposer of the motion and the proposer of the amendment that Aberdeen is the oil capital of Europe and a city that needs infrastructure and desperately needs its infrastructure to be developed. That of course is why a previous Conservative Government back in the 1980s began the process of ensuring that the road connections to Aberdeen and in the Aberdeen area were improved. That Conservative Government dualled the A90 all the way to Aberdeen. That same Conservative Government began the process of dualling the A96 with major work at Inverurie, and its final act before the 1997 election was for my old friend James Douglas Hamilton to take responsibility for cutting the first sod for the construction of the Kintore bypass.
The bypass was eventually opened by Henry McLeish. He took the opportunity to do that, but then unfortunately presided over a change in policy that meant that investment in road networks was downgraded and remained so for a full 10 years. That unfortunate circumstance has led to many of the problems that we see in Aberdeen today. However, Aberdeen’s bottlenecks are more than simply the Haudagain roundabout, because there is of course the Brig o’ Dee and the Bridge of Don, and the desperate need for a third Don crossing, which challenge has been taken up by the Conservative councillors on Aberdeen City Council. It was a motion in the name of that fine young councillor, Ross Thomson, that eventually led to the city council’s commitment to build the third Don crossing, although the major partner in the council was very reluctant to take that on. However, progress is being made.
However, there is sense in some of the arguments in the motion. The idea that we might have to wait until 2018 before work can start on the Haudagain roundabout fills many of Aberdeen’s road users with dread. My concern is to ensure that if we get nothing else out of this debate, we get some understanding from the Government about this priority.
In debates in the Parliament, much is said about shovel-ready projects. I have often asked whether an individual project is regarded as shovel ready, and I guess that the Haudagain roundabout is not a shovel-ready project. If the opportunity comes along and funding becomes available to this or another Government before 2018, I like to think that the project could be prioritised.
So far, it has been said by the proposer of the motion and the proposer of the amendment that Aberdeen is the oil capital of Europe and a city that needs infrastructure and desperately needs its infrastructure to be developed. That of course is why a previous Conservative Government back in the 1980s began the process of ensuring that the road connections to Aberdeen and in the Aberdeen area were improved. That Conservative Government dualled the A90 all the way to Aberdeen. That same Conservative Government began the process of dualling the A96 with major work at Inverurie, and its final act before the 1997 election was for my old friend James Douglas Hamilton to take responsibility for cutting the first sod for the construction of the Kintore bypass.
The bypass was eventually opened by Henry McLeish. He took the opportunity to do that, but then unfortunately presided over a change in policy that meant that investment in road networks was downgraded and remained so for a full 10 years. That unfortunate circumstance has led to many of the problems that we see in Aberdeen today. However, Aberdeen’s bottlenecks are more than simply the Haudagain roundabout, because there is of course the Brig o’ Dee and the Bridge of Don, and the desperate need for a third Don crossing, which challenge has been taken up by the Conservative councillors on Aberdeen City Council. It was a motion in the name of that fine young councillor, Ross Thomson, that eventually led to the city council’s commitment to build the third Don crossing, although the major partner in the council was very reluctant to take that on. However, progress is being made.
However, there is sense in some of the arguments in the motion. The idea that we might have to wait until 2018 before work can start on the Haudagain roundabout fills many of Aberdeen’s road users with dread. My concern is to ensure that if we get nothing else out of this debate, we get some understanding from the Government about this priority.
In debates in the Parliament, much is said about shovel-ready projects. I have often asked whether an individual project is regarded as shovel ready, and I guess that the Haudagain roundabout is not a shovel-ready project. If the opportunity comes along and funding becomes available to this or another Government before 2018, I like to think that the project could be prioritised.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-06657, in the name of Richard Baker, on immediate action at the Haudagain roundabout.14:40
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased that we have been able to bring forward in Labour business the issue of tackling congestion at the Haudagain roundabout, because it is a vital t...
Dennis Robertson (Aberdeenshire West) (SNP)
SNP
I thank the member very much for taking an intervention on that point. Does he accept that the Aberdeen western peripheral route is of great significance to ...
Richard Baker
Lab
Of course; I am happy to accept that point. We all agree on the importance of the AWPR but, through today’s debate, we want to move the Haudagain roundabout ...
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
What will happen to traffic to the airport if Mr Baker’s request for immediate action is granted? If the Haudagain is redone, we will have chaos on the roads...
Richard Baker
Lab
That is both a poor excuse and a gross misrepresentation of the issue. I will specifically address the ludicrous press release that Mr Stewart issued yesterd...
Kevin Stewart
SNP
Will the member give way?
Richard Baker
Lab
I am sure that Mr Stewart will want to speak later, so he will have his chance then.Despite the Scottish Government’s verbal assurances that it will pay for ...
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
I have been listening carefully to Mr Baker. Will he confirm whether Labour is committed to the construction of a third Don crossing any time in the near fut...
Richard Baker
Lab
The member is aware that Aberdeen City Council proposes a third Don crossing. As I have said, the council stands ready to move forward with this work now and...
The Minister for Transport and Veterans (Keith Brown)
SNP
The Scottish Government recognises, of course, the important contribution that Aberdeen and the north-east make to our wider economy and that an effective tr...
Richard Baker
Lab
So when Alex Neil and John Swinney specifically called for immediate action more than five years ago, they were wrong.
Keith Brown
SNP
Perhaps Richard Baker has forgotten that there has been a protracted legal challenge on the AWPR. Nestrans and the council that he has lauded have said a num...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
No. I want to make some progress.The funding of the regeneration proposal for the Middlefield area is a matter for Aberdeen City Council, but Transport Scotl...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Keith Brown
SNP
I will do so in just a second.The forthcoming by-election and Labour’s need for a fig leaf to hide every major construction project that it has delayed expla...
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
I am grateful to the minister for giving way, even if he has done so when I was not seeking to intervene.Will the minister confirm that the STAG report actua...
Keith Brown
SNP
I think that I have just said what is being done. We have employed design consultants to work on the design at this early stage in order that we can be ready...
Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
It is wonderful what a by-election will do to focus Parliament on issues that are important to the people of Aberdeen, and the Aberdeen Donside by-election i...
Keith Brown
SNP
Will the member give way?
Alex Johnstone
Con
The commitment that I need from the minister today—I will give way if he is willing to give it—is that he will take action so that the Haudagain roundabout p...
Keith Brown
SNP
If the member had listened to what I said, he would have heard me say that we have started on the design work, which is the necessary first step. Over and ab...
Alex Johnstone
Con
The minister’s intervention takes us into an area that I need to talk about, which is the time that projects take.The minister went through a list of project...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We are tight for time, so members must stick to four-minute speeches.15:02
Kevin Stewart (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
SNP
I have talked a lot in the Parliament recently about common sense—“gumption” is the word that we use in the north-east. Today, we see mair gimmick than gumpt...
Lewis Macdonald (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Although Kevin Stewart offered to move on from the knockabout, he went on to produce one of the most comical speeches that I have heard. He asked a number of...
Stewart Stevenson (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
SNP
No.
Lewis Macdonald
Lab
The Haudagain is part of the trunk road network and therefore the Scottish Government’s responsibility.I heard a little heckling from a sedentary position. I...
Bruce Crawford
SNP
Will work at the Haudagain roundabout cause extra congestion around the city?