A9 various major improvements names and opening dates: EIR release

Information request and response under the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004


Information requested

"1) The Names and Opening Dates of Major Improvements to the A9 Between Dunblane Bypass and Greenloaning from 1964 to 1974.
2) The Names and opening dates of Major Improvement Schemes to the A9 between Greenloaning and Blackford Bypass from 1989 to 1995.
3) The Opening Date for the A9 schemes
a) Burnside to Broxden
b) The Mound Diversion”

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.

To aid with this response I have retained the numbering above:
1) While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance Transport Scotland does not have some the information you have requested. Therefore we are refusing part of your request under the exception at regulation 10(4)(a) of the EIRs. This is because, whilst our records confirm there were improvements to the A9 between Dunblane and Greenloaning which opened to traffic between 1968 and 1969, we do not hold the name of these improvements.

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 road improvements, clearly we cannot provide information which we do not hold.
However, we can confirm that a separate improvement, Greenloaning Diversion, was opened to traffic in 1970.

2) Our records confirm that Greenloaning Bypass was opened to traffic in December 1992. There were no other major improvements in this area and time frame you were interested in.

3) The opening dates for the improvements you are interested in are as follows:
a) Burnside to Broxden - Opened to traffic in July 1983
b) The Mound, Sutherland Diversion - Opened to traffic in December 1988

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference
Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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