Plans have been approved for part of the long-awaited Berryden Corridor in Aberdeen in what has been hailed by the council as a “major milestone”.
Councillors on the planning committee today unanimously voted through the proposals for a new congestion-busting road stretching from Ashgrove Road to the Kittybrewster roundabout in St Machar Drive.
Plans for this section of the road were lodged separately due to ongoing legal wranglings elsewhere.
Other areas between Ashgrove Road and Skene Square, such as Caroline Place, are within a conservation area and the council is yet to obtain the proper consents to push on with the proposals.
Existing roads there will be widened and improved, if the council gains permission to carry out the work, resulting in the proposed demolition of buildings to make way.
There are also still around 100 plots of land needed for the road which the council does not own or control – accounting for around 20% of the total land needed.
The local authority issued compulsory purchase orders in 2018, with the Scottish Government currently considering objections.
More than 15 people, companies, and organisations – including Police Scotland and NHS Grampian – are fighting the council’s plans to take control of their land either permanently or temporarily to allow construction.
A Scottish Government appointed reporter is expected to make recommendations to ministers on the CPO by mid-November.
Council roads planners last valued construction of the road – which has been planned for decades – at £26.4million.
The scheme is viewed as a major upgrade to the city’s roads network, as Berryden Road and surrounding street are currently filled “beyond capacity” at peak times.
Planners believe the new road will boost benefits brought by the opening of the Diamond Bridge over the River Don, which is already used by around 12,000 vehicles each day.
Once it is built, Kittybrewster, at the top of St Machar Drive, will be the only remaining roundabout on the route with those in Skene Square and Berryden Road replaced with traffic lights.
They will contribute to more than 10 new pedestrian crossings along the road, with an extra mile of pavement and another two miles of cycle tracks.
Council transport spokeswoman Sandra Macdonald said: “The planning permission granted is welcome news for the Berryden Corridor Improvement Project.
“It is a significant step towards delivering this roads network scheme which will help journey time reliability, relieve congestion, and improve infrastructure for walking and cycling.
“I look forward to the next stage of the project.”