Council says it will examine Inverness common good land query over bypass
FURTHER investigations to find whether some routes put forward for the proposed city bypass are on common good land will be carried out by the council.
It comes after well-known author and community land rights campaigner Andy Wightman put pressure on Highland Council to explain how it came to the conclusion that no land involved in any of the eight options for the link between the A82 and Dores Road was in the ownership of Inverness Common Good Fund.
The local authority now says it has considered Mr Wightman’s comments and will now look at the matter again.
"The land at the Bught has not been administered on the basis that it formed or forms part of the common good," said the council spokesman.
"The council will undertake further research and examination of the relevant titles in order to satisfy itself as to the status of the land."
Mr Wightman believes the people of Inverness would be due compensation if the title deeds showed land on the planned route was among its list of assets as cash from the common good fund is used for community projects.
"On the evidence available, it is clear that the parks belong to the citizens of Inverness and any proposals to alienate their common land should only be done after obtaining their consent — through a referendum," said Mr Wightman is his latest blog.
The road aims to take traffic from the city’s southern distributor to the A82, avoiding the city centre and it would have to cross both the River Ness and Caledonian Canal.
John West, chairman of both the West Link Protest Group and the Inverness Civic Trust, said it is only right the council is taking another look at the issue.
"I’m glad they’re taking the matter slightly more seriously," he said.
The civic trust held a meeting last night with Mr Wightman to further discuss the proposed bypass.
Council representatives met with the civic trust and protest group last week where the idea of a lower-level bridge over the River Ness was discussed.
However, chairman of the council’s transport, environmental and community services committee, Councillor John Laing, said yesterday the lower-level bridge was not going to be considered as an option.
A public consultation on the bypass is being held until the 16th January next year and a 15-councillor group will assess feedback
from the public and present its
recommendations to full council, which is expected to finalise a route before the next local elections in May 2012.
