Council to hear locals' bridge fears at meeting
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A public consultation is set to take place next month to discuss the impact that storm-damaged bridges have had on the King Edward area.
This comes after the frustrated community rallied together at a public meeting at the start of the year to call for action to repair bridges struck by storms in September.
Replacing Bridge of Gorrachie, Bridge of Fortrie, Bruntyards, Millcroft, Mill of Balmaud and North Litterty would cost Aberdeenshire Council in the region of £1.26 million.
Locals attended in large numbers and expressed their anger at a lack of action from the council, raising a variety of concerns.
This led to councillors agreeing at the infrastructure service committee in January to enter into further dialogue with both the
Scottish and UK governments to explore the potential for additional financial aid at the particularly in the context of the wider challenges the council faces with its bridges.
Officials also agreed that Gorrachie and Bruntyards should be the initial priority.
At the meeting, head of roads, Philip Mackay (above) said: “The report sets out the continued position on the impact of the road closures on bridges in the King Edward area following the weather event on September 28.
“These have had a significant impact on the road network in that area.
“However we are now in the position with over 1380 bridges across the network that we have to prioritise investment on the remaining bridges and these ones do not score highly enough on that basis at the current time to be included in the 10-year programme of work.”
Resident Caroline Close believes that Aberdeenshire Council holding a public engagement event is a step in the right direction as locals call for action to take place.
Speaking to the Advertiser this week, she said: “It should have been done sooner and perhaps councillors may recognise that now.
“It is a step in the right direction and means that people can register their concerns officially.
“We had asked people to send in letters but they were not in the right direction.
“It is important people can register their thoughts and there will be a official response that will be published in the public domain.”
Part of the campaign to get the bridges fixed involved the compiling of letters detailing the impact that the closures have had on people’s lives.
Close has urged people to come along to the event to raise their concerns.
She added: “People gave information on how the closures were impacting them, families and businesses, which was valuable information to get the ball rolling.
“From that this has been enough to push the council towards a consultation.
The support from community and surrounding area has been fantastic.
“They have been so supportive from the number of letters and we received around 136 letters in total.”
“Personally not directly I drive the school bus so the bus route has changed.
“There are farms spilt and people find it much more difficult to cross the A947 using the buses.
“The main concern is access to emergency services is restricted.
“Ambulance crews could be coming from Fraserburgh or Aviemore so they may not necessary know where to go.
“That delay could have serious consequences for someone.
“It is chance to officially record their concerns and led to official response.”
The drop-in King Edward Bridges consultation takes place on Monday, March 9 from 3.30pm until 7.30pm at the King Edward Community Hall.
