Crocketford and Springholm residents asked to contribute to A75 bypass plans
Two meetings will be held next week at the Crocketford Village Hall.
Crocketford and Springholm residents will have a chance to contribute to plans for the A75 to bypass the villages next week.
There are to be two “Meet the Team” events at Crocketford Village Hall on March 11th and 12th where Transport Scotland representatives will be there to discuss the initial designs and assessment work and answer any queries.
The aim of this is for anyone attending to “gain an understanding of the processes that will be followed over the coming months while work on the project progresses.”
Transport Scotland says that at the meetings, local landowners will be asked for information to assist in forthcoming survey work on site and other attendees will be asked to register contact details so they can be sent future scheme updates.
This is to be the first of many public engagement sessions until a “preferred route option is identified”.
Not enough notice
MSP Finlay Carson met with the First Minister and other stakeholders last year to highlight the need for the road to be bypassed.
He says although he welcomes this news, it’s not given people long to prepare for it:
“Whilst it is welcomed to see that these “Meet the Teams” meetings are to take place in Crocketford, the lack of advanced notice is somewhat regrettable. We’ve only got a week to go before the meetings.
“If we want to have meaningful engagement with members of the public, landowners and other stakeholders, then we need to have more notice to make sure that people are able to attend.
“It’s also been made clear that the information presented at these meetings will only be made available to coincide with the start of these events at 12 noon on the 11th of March.
“We need to have as much information as possible, as these engineering works are going to be of significant interest to people right across Dumfries and Galloway and further afield.”
Recognise the importance of improving safety
Transport Secretary for Fiona Hyslop said:
“The initial design work looking at options to bypass the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75 is now well underway.
“We recognise the strategic importance of the A75 Gretna to Stranraer corridor, and we are committed to improving safety, resilience and reliability for everyone who uses this key trunk road, including freight operators.
“Springholm and Crocketford are the only two settlements on the busy route which have not yet been bypassed, and we are pleased to be taking this work forward to improve the lives of people living, visiting and working in the villages.
“These “Meet the team” events on 11 and 12 March are an opportunity for locals and road users to hear first-hand from the people carrying out the initial design and assessment work.
“The work being undertaken is expected to take approximately two years to complete and will culminate with the identification of a preferred route option for bypassing Springholm and Crocketford.
“The Meet the Team events are the first of a number of planned engagement opportunities as part of this work and we are committed to meaningful engagement with members of the public, landowners and other stakeholders throughout.”