Information Bulletin
16 March 2005
Bressay Bridge Consents Progress to Final Stage
The Council this week published details of the land to be purchased for the Bressay Bridge. The land will be obtained by means of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) which is the standard means used by public authorities for many projects.
Chair of the Infrastructure Committee Councillor Jim Irvine, who has many years of experience in the development of roads schemes in Shetland, said, “This is the usual procedure the Council follows when acquiring land for road schemes. As is always the case, the Council’s officials will be open for discussions with those affected by the CPO and they will seek to accommodate their needs where this can reasonably be done”. Councillor Irvine went on to say “the construction cost estimate for the bridge remains well within the cap of £19 million set by the Council and we remain confident that the bridge is the best way to link the Mainland and Bressay”.
The land needed on a permanent basis includes the bridge corridor as well as a strip for future maintenance and a larger area will be occupied on a temporary basis to facilitate the bridge construction. The boundaries of the land required have been carefully drawn to allow safe and efficient construction and to ensure that other activities nearby can continue during and after construction.
Convener Sandy Cluness was keen to encourage those affected by the CPO to engage in dialogue with Council officials to discuss any areas of concern. “There is clear political support for this project and I have spoken many times on the huge potential that the bridge will release. We want to see this project going ahead and to achieve this we need to pursue the necessary consents, including the CPO”. Having made clear the absolute Council commitment to the project, he went on to say that people who are affected in any way by the CPO or other consents should raise any concerns through the Council’s officials. “The political decisions have been made and the focus now needs to be on the technical delivery of the project. The Council is very keen to maintain open channels for this technical discussion to take place” he said. “With constructive dialogue at the technical level it should be possible to establish practical arrangements to accommodate the needs of all parties during construction and when the bridge is built. However we must remain ever aware that the longer it takes to conclude the consents process, the greater the impact on the budget.”
The process starts with the publication of the CPO notice in the Shetland Times today.
Ends.