Views
The A96 should not be forgotten - for The Inverness Courier
OVER the next few weeks, it seems that the Highland Council will at long, long last reach agreement on a proposed route for the Inverness Trunk Road Link.
There is still real work to be done to persuade the new Scottish Executive to fund this essential project, but another hurdle will have been overcome on this long delayed and much-needed project.
The new Scottish government has also had a few warm words to say about the need to upgrade the A9 - though it seems to blow hot and cold on the issue, and no timetable or funding has been promised. Transport links between Inverness and the central belt are vital to the future of our area.
But while debate in recent months has focused on these links, little has been heard about the transport problems in the A96 corridor. Yet anyone who regularly travels the road between Inverness and Nairn knows that the congestion gets worse every week, and the problems in terms of road safety and the stifling of development do the same.
Last week I met some of those associated with a petition gathered by schoolchildren in Nairn, following the tragic death of teenager Daniel Burgess on the road through the town. With over 2000 signatures, there is huge public demand for the necessary changes - including a bypass around Nairn. A Nairn bypass has been discussed for the last 40 years, but the need for it now is desperate.
At the same time, the long-term strategy for continuing the economic success of our area is built around expectations of some 30,000 extra people in the "Inverness - Nairn corridor". With our transport system already creaking at the seams, long-term planning is needed to ensure that the investment is made to ensure that the infrastructure is there when it is needed rather than continually playing catch-up.
The previous transport minister helped rapidly to advance plans for upgrading the A96 between Inverness and the airport. And the recent Transport Scotland study of the entire route between Aberdeen and Inverness was also helpful. The momentum needs to be maintained by the new government.
A significant proportion of the costs of this investment could be paid for by developers in so-called "planning gain". So it would be particularly wasteful if developers were to be asked to contribute to transport projects that then had to be overhauled because they were not part of a long-term plan. For developers and the public alike, a long-term strategy for the future development of the A96 corridor is desperately needed.
WOOD-FUEL OPPORTUNITY
Last week, I was delighted to officially open the new wood-fueled boiler that is providing heating for Inverness College's Scottish School of Forestry at Balloch. It was good to see the national centre of excellence also taking the lead in environmental terms. Not only will the new system cut heating costs by nearly half, but it will also help students to learn about this technology.
Wood-fuel has enormous potential to help cut carbon emissions, provided that the trees harvested are replaced then the whole process should be broadly carbon-neutral. This is particularly important in rural areas with substantial woodland - using a locally available fuel instead of enormously expensive fuel heating oil, can cut costs as well.
There is a lot to be learned from other countries in this area, as a European conference in Strathpeffer last week showed. Considerable impetus has been given to the development of wood-fuel in Scotland by collaboration with Finland and Iceland. How much further it is possible for us to go is shown by the fact that in Finland 20 per cent of domestic energy is now provided by wood-fuel.
This is a technology on which the Highlands has the potential to give a lead to the rest of the UK. The affordable housing developments at Aviemore North uses local wood-chip to heat homes, while the new Culloden Visitor Centre will do the same. With our substantial forest resources, we should be embracing this technology - in local schools, for example.
Posted on: 11/09/2007
