Members of Moray Council’s administration have challenged their opposition colleagues to come up with answers regarding Elgin’s proposed Western Link Road.
While the latest WLR application was refused by a majority of one at the November 13 planning committee, it was accepted by opponents that a new rail crossing was required in Elgin.
Two weeks later, at a meeting of the council’s economic development and infrastructure committee, councillors from all parties agreed that a new crossing over the railway line was vital as part of “infrastructure enhancements”.
Ahead of the full council meeting on December 17, council convener Stewart Cree has challenged all those councillors who oppose the WLR to show him where they think the crossing is best placed.
He said: “I have a big map of Elgin on the wall of my office, and I invite all those members who do not support the WLR – but agreed that we need a rail crossing – to show me where it should be.
“I am open to any suggestions, and I would add that we don’t need to be engineers to identify a crossing point we think should be investigated as a possibility as ample evidence has been provided to members on a range of possible alternatives. As councillors we have to provide a strategic way forward for the council, and then ask officers to produce plans to meet that decision.”
At the December 17 meeting councillors could agree to submit a new planning application mitigating the reasons for refusal.
Councillor Cree is supported in his challenge by councillor John Cowe, chairman of the economic development and infrastructure committee, who said: “We have to make decisions that will benefit all of Elgin and Moray.
“These decisions are never going to please everyone, and least of all those potentially most affected by them.
“However, I am absolutely clear that the greater good will be served by building the link road and finishing the traffic distribution network around Elgin, something the council accepted as part of its development plan more than 12 years ago.
“The WLR is the most cost-effective solution to increased traffic volumes, and to the obvious gap in development of Elgin’s south west, where we need to build 424 houses every year for the next ten years just to catch up.
“People want to come and live and work in Moray, and without committing the council to alternatives costing up to £70 million, any crossing that I can see will still need to use Wittet Drive to access to A96.”