Claims A96 dualling announcement came as unwelcome Christmas present for some

Transport Scotland’s announcement of a preferred A96 dualling plan has come in for criticism over its “untimely” announcement at Christmas.

It was nearing December 25 when national transport chiefs revealed their favoured route for upgrading the Huntly to Aberdeen stretch of the road as part of an overall £3 billion, 86-mile long dualling project between Inverness and Aberdeen.

Aberdeenshire Council’s infrastructure services committee chairman, Peter Argyle, said he was “unimpressed” by that timing and has written to the Scottish Government’s transport minister Michael Matheson to say so.

He said: “I didn’t think it was appropriate to put out something of this significance four days before Christmas, particularly for people living in the corridor of the proposed route just before what was going to be a fairly challenging Christmas anyway.”

Mr Argyle said: “I didn’t think that was in any sense, way, shape or form appropriate.

“The first thing we knew of the consultation was when it was launched by the council.”

Mr Argyle has asked for an extension to the mid-February response deadline in order for each of the affected area committees to be fully consulted.