Architectural and road lighting on Queensferry Crossing, cost and operation: EIR release

Information relating to lighting on the Queensferry Crossing.

1. What was the cost of the architectural lighting on the bridge?
2. Is it operational yet, if no what is the expected completion date?
3. If it is operational but a positive choice was made not to switch it on, what are the reasons?
4. Finally, are there any plans to lay out road lighting on the whole length of the bridge?

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.

As the exemption is conditional we have applied the ‘public interest test’.  This means we have, in all the circumstances of this case, considered if the public interest in disclosing the information under FOISA 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. 

The Scottish Government does not have the information requested.

Under the terms of the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs (information not held), the Scottish Government is not required to provide information which it does not have.

The Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested because the installation of the architectural lighting on the Queensferry Crossing was included as part of the Forth Replacement Crossing Project.  The value of these works cannot be dis-aggregated from the total costs tendered.

This exception 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 exception.  We have found that on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exception.

While we recognise that there may be some public interest in information about the cost of all on-going works on the Queensferry Crossing, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.