Road will continue to spark fierce debate

My dad grew up along the route of the Cathkin Relief Road, which finally opened on Friday.

In fact, my gran is still there and I remember many days spent playing football, golf or even sledging on the area of open ground.

One thing I also remember is people talking about the road that would eventually cut through the popular woodland park.

It’s been over 50 years in the making, but that won’t make the opening any easier for the residents along the route who were so deeply opposed to it.

While the spectre of the road had always hung over the area, when the land was transformed into a pleasant public park, it seemed the plans had been put on the shelf, destined to gather dust.

But, in fact, the road never went away. It formed part of South Lanarkshire’s transport plan and even when the M74 extension was built it remained there, in a strange type of limbo.

When money was found for the project, it prompted an outpouring of anger from thousands of residents.

But, it is only fair to emphasise, many others supported it, saying it would take pressure off other routes.

Today, we report on the opening on pages six and seven, but this is not the end of the arguments.

Eyes will now turn to whether the road will bring the benefits the council has been so insistent it would.

Those who live with the road on their doorstep have every right to make sure these benefits are forthcoming, but even then it may be no consolation for the loss of their beloved park.

It’s a packed edition this week. You can see our coverage of the relief road on pages 6 and 7 and find out what other readers are saying on page 34. We we also welcome our celebrity columnist Leah Macrae back from holiday on page 13.