Civic Trust: No problem with road
Stirling Civic Trust say plans for a link road through Viewforth are “well conceived”despite almost 20 objections being lodged so far by residents of nearby Kings Park.
Stirling Council wants to build the road to divert traffic away from roads around the city.
The new route will run between the St Ninians Road junction with Snowdon Place and the Linden Avenue roundabout near Waitrose and create an inner city ring road aimed at reducing unnecessary traffic in the city centre.
A growing number of residents in Kings Park are already saying the route will cause thousands more cars to go through their Conservation Area every day and increase pollution there.
And their stance is being backed by Stirling MP Stephen Kerr.
This week, however, Stirling Civic Trust told the Observer they had no issues with the council’s planning application for the link road.
Trust convener Jack Sutherland said the public were welcome to contact them on any proposed developments within the boundaries controlled by Stirling Council, adding: “The Stirling Civic Trust was formed in 1977 to act as a voice for public opinion in the event of planning applications and proposed developments being considered to be detrimental to the existing surrounding environment, rather than being beneficial.
“As such, one or more of its membership has the necessary knowledge and capability to monitor all applications to establish whether or not they comply with existing regulations for new building standards.
“These parameters still apply today. The proposed new link road at the Viewforth is an example of this situation and has already generated public discussion, for and against.
“The trust’s planning sub-committee has reviewed the 60-page documentation and decided there are no substantial reasons for opposing the project. The proposal was included in the Local Development Plans of 2014 and 2018 and at that time the possible impact on green corridors would have been considered prior to approval and the details of the proposal are considered to be well conceived.”
Objectors in Kings Park, however, seem less than convinced.
Stewart Small said: “Who exactly is it that is deemed to benefit from this new link road? It’s not the residents of Stirling as far as I can determine, and certainly not the residents of Kings Park or of Braehead. What journeys are deemed to improve as a result of this link road and by what (marginal) gain?”
The link road proposal has been under discussion for several years, however the council only formally lodged the planning application in recent weeks with its planning department.