Information regarding Perth and Kinross Council Site MU70: EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02996
Date received: 4 December 2017
Date responded: 21 December 2017

Information requested

You asked for the following information:

1. Copies of all correspondence, emails, notes of meetings and discussions that have taken place between Transport Scotland and Perth and Kinross Council as regards Site MU70 and the proposed new road junction off the A9.

2. Copies of all correspondence, emails, notes of meetings and discussions between Transport Scotland and the Trustees of the John Dewar Lamberkine Trust or any agents and consultants acting on behalf of the Trustees in respect of the proposed Site MU70 or the proposed new road junction.

3. Copies of any reports, models, analysis or other data that you hold in relation to the proposed new road junction to service Site MU70.

Response

As the information you have requested is 'environmental information' for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the 'public interest test'. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

I enclose a copy of all of the information we hold in respect of your request in Annexes A, B, C and D attached. These include emails and relevant documents exchanged between Transport Scotland and consultants acting for the John Dewar Lamberkine Trust in relation to Site MU70 and with Perth and Kinross Council regarding the Perth West Masterplan.

Transport Scotland hold no traffic models of the proposed new junction. Your email states your understanding that Transport Scotland are supportive of this new junction and that the location which you have identified in your attached plan has been approved. Transport Scotland have not approved a location and/or design for any new junction to provide access to the site. Transport Scotland have indicated acceptance of the principle of a new junction to provide access to the site but further work on options and progress through the various stages of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges process is required before any approvals can be considered.

In Annex E we have also included the Transport Scotland response to questions raised by the Reporter at the examination of Perth and Kinross Local Development Plan in 2013. Although this relates to site H70 rather than MU70 it may be helpful.

Full details of this examination (Case Reference: LDP-340-1) can be found at:

Local Development Plan

Due to the file size of the documents released, copies can be provided on request by emailing ceu@gov.scot, quoting the FOI reference number FOI/17/02996

About FOI

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