Report by:
Ann Davie, Depute Chief Executive
TN Number:
092-23
Friday, 26 May, 2023
Subject:
Westerhill Development Road (WDR) – Consultation Events
Responsible Officer:
Heather Holland, Executive Officer - Land Planning & Development & Alan Bauer, Executive Officer – Assets & Facilities
Publication:
This Technical Note will be published on the Council’s website following circulation to Members. Its contents may be disclosed or shared outwith the Council.
Details:
- The purpose of this Technical Note is to update Elected Members on work associated with the design of the Westerhill Development Road (WDR), previously referred to as the Bishopbriggs Relief Road Phase 5.
- Since the beginning of this year, East Dunbartonshire Officers have been working with consultants Triskelion to help design various route options for the WDR. This new road forms part of the Council’s £34.88m City Deal Place and Growth Programme which will improve connectivity in the area as well as helping to unlock key strategic development sites in the Westerhill Regeneration Area.
- In order to inform the route options, the consultants have undertaken various ecological and environmental surveys across Westerhill and have also held a specific stakeholder workshop for East Dunbartonshire officers to input. This work has been supplemented by engagement with the various utilities providers, as well as with consultants working on the Westerhill Masterplan and A803 projects.
- The five route options which have been developed all start from the Lochgrog Roundabout (near the former Aviva building) but they all vary in length and their use of existing carriageway. There are also various different tie-in points with the A803.
- The public will now be asked their opinion on each of these route options during a three-week consultation period beginning on Monday, 29 May and running until Thursday, 22 June. The consultation will include a drop-in session to be held in the War Memorial Hall in Bishopbriggs on Monday, 19 June from 5pm until 8pm. There will be an online survey on the Council website – and printed copies of the options will be available to view in the Bishopbriggs Library, along with comment forms.
- The public consultation will be launched the week commencing the 29th May through a period of promotion over social media and the Council website.
- The communications materials used during the consultation will present information to a non-technical audience and careful thought will be given to ensuring that communications are designed to be appropriate for the specific audience. All materials will be available on an engagement webpage on the Council website – with some information available to view in designated public locations.
- It should be noted in this consultation stage, officers are not presenting a settled or preferred route option. The communication materials are intended to purely aid discussion, with the purpose of the exercise to gather information from the public to either confirm analysis undertaken by the consultants or obtain new information that can be used to inform the setting of objectives and early design strategy work.
- Updates on the project, including outcomes of the consultation work and recommended solutions, will be included in a future report on the City Deal project element to a meeting of Council.