Canal bridge plans rubbished

CONCERNED Inverness householders have joined forces at the 11th hour to have their say on five options for a new road to link the east and west sides of Inverness.

The West Link aims to take traffic from the city's Southern Distributor Road to the A82 trunk road, avoiding the city centre.

All the options would involve having to bridge the River Ness and also the Caledonian Canal.

But a group of residents have come together last minute to voice their protests about three of the options being mooted by Highland Council before the deadline for objections ends next Friday.

They hosted a meeting on Saturday at the Waterside Hotel in Inverness, where the 130 people who attended voted unanimously to reject three of the options which would see the Southern Distributor Road being extended along Dores Road towards the city centre, with the River Ness crossings between Rossie and Heraghty lodges on Dores Road.

They say these options would lead to increased traffic flow near the city centre, and "severely compromise" the amenity of the Ness Islands, Whin Park playground, the children's railway, rugby fields, canal pitches, sports grounds and Torvean Golf Course.

John West, of Stratherrick Road, one of those who founded the group, said: "Ninety-seven per cent of people voting at the meeting stated that their wish was for a low level bridge from the Dores Roundabout via the Torvean Quarry to the A82. It was also the unanimous wish of the meeting that Dores Road and Island Bank Road should not be used as an extension of the distributor road.

"The meeting was attended by many residents from the locality but 40 per cent of the people there came from other areas of Inverness and beyond, and were passionate in their opposition to all of the council's options."

Because petitions and group letters are only counted as one objection by Highland Council, he said their next step was to get as many letters of protest sent to the council before next Friday's deadline. To urge people to do this, they will publish proforma letters online at their new website which will be up and running this week.

He added: "We are encouraging those who attended the meeting to run off a letter for themselves to send to the council and four other letters for them to pass onto friends they think will be interested."

The website address will be www.westlinkroadproposal-inv.webs.com