A community council is challenging the local authority’s decision not to make an official order to modify a popular walking route so it can build the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR).
Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) took out advertising in the local press two weeks ago promoting orders to stop up and divert four core paths between Perth and Luncarty and another two near Scone so it can create the new link between the A9 and the A94.
But Scone and District Community Council (SDCC) believes PKC ought to have promoted a seventh order to do the same to another path north of the village, which leads to Highfield Woods.
The group argues the local authority is seeking to make a “material change” to the path as the CTLR will bisect the route once it is built and a new pedestrian crossing will have to be created so people can still access the woods via the path.
SDCC considers PKC has promoted stopping up and diversion orders to make less onerous changes to core paths in the past and has written to officials to protest their decision not to follow the same process with the Highfield Path.
Members say the decision prevents people from making objections to the change and points out if any objections had been raised, this would have resulted in an inquiry having to be held where an independent official would decide whether the proposal is acceptable.
The group has told PKC: “The community council wishes to lodge a protest that no order has been made for core path SCON/12, which is the Highfield Path.
“In accordance with the consented planning application, the path is being diverted, incorporating a puffin crossing, or alternatively being diverted via [a] green bridge.
“As such a core path order should be issued to allow for public comment/objection to be made.
“PKC is fully aware from the planning process [of the] concerns of the public who use this core path and as such the non-issue of a core path order is not acceptable.”
A council spokesperson said this week: “The council has not published an order to stop up and divert core path SCON 12, known as the Highfield Path, due to the fact that this route will remain on its current alignment and will cross the CTLR with a toucan crossing to facilitate safe crossing.
“The council has only published orders where the alignment of a core path or right of way is changed as a result of the CTLR scheme. Core path SCON 12 is not to be diverted along another route.”
Elsewhere SDCC is still fighting to have its objections to the CTLR being built so close to the village considered by the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA).
The group made a late objection to PKC being allowed to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire all the land it needs to create the link as it still believes the road should be built further away from the village so as to avoid passing through the planned Scone North development.
