Road closure plans spark outrage in Rosewell and Roslin

Proposals to ban traffic for 18 months on a busy road described as a “vital” route by locals have sparked outrage in Roslin and Rosewell.

Part of the B7003 Roslin Glen Road between Rosewell and Roslin. Photo: Google Maps.

An online petition opposed to a proposed temporary vehicular traffic ban on the B7003 Roslin Glen Road received more than 1,600 signatures in 24 hours when it was set up last week by Rosewell man Jamie Graham.

Midlothian Council has launched a consultation to find out if active travel proposals to temporarily close three roads to vehicles, following a public engagement exercise earlier, have wider community support. The Space for People scheme would also see Crawlees Road in Mayfield and Oatslie Road in Roslin closed to traffic.

The council said the proposals, which came from community suggestions, will improve safety for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists.

The proposal to close Roslin Glen Road has seen more than 2,600 people in just four days sign a petition demanding the plan is shelved. Photo supplied by Marie Sharp.

Speaking to the Advertiser about his road petition, Jamie said: “They have not even considered the impact it will have on local traffic. The last survey of that road said there were about 200 vehicles using the road every hour.

“If you take all that traffic and stick it down to Lasswade it’s going to be terrible.

“The council says people could use that road to cycle to the Bush Estate, but winter is coming, nobody is going to do that to commute.

“It’s incredible, nobody has any idea why they are doing it.

“I think the whole reason behind it is the road is in bad condition, so rather than fix the road they put this through with the intention of making it permanent.

“The road needs repaired or replaced, not closed. There are new homes being built locally all the time so the road will only get busier. So this proposal doesn’t make sense.

“I use it to access the city bypass, as I’m sure lots of local people do.

“Our doctor’s surgery is in Roslin, our post office is in Roslin, so to close this main road to Roslin is not good for the people of Rosewell.

“And it’s not just people in Rosewell and Roslin that use it, it’s a vital link road for people from elsewhere.”

Jamie added that local councillors weren’t informed of the plans, and he claims they support his petition.

Midlothian West councillor Kelly Parry (SNP) confirmed this. She said: “This is the first time that councillors have been made aware of these formal proposals.

“There has also been no formal involvement, engagement or notification to the respective community councils or community groups either.

“I am becoming increasingly concerned about a democratic deficit in Midlothian and I have written to the chief executive outlining my concerns about the process, and the road closure proposals.”

Other local residents have voiced their concerns to the Advertiser about the proposals to close the B7003 Roslin Glen Road to traffic.

Malcolm Lunn from Rosewell said: “Having spoken to many local residents I have yet to meet a single person who thinks this is good idea.

“The closure of this road is being done under the guise of Covid Spaces for People, and makes reference to key workers. I’d challenge how many key workers are cycling through the Glen compared to those driving.

“The Glen is indeed used by cyclists , I’m a keen road cyclist myself, but it’s not local people using the Glen on the bikes. It’s mainly people from Edinburgh and cycling clubs cycling through the Glen to access the countryside.

“The Glen is also not a leisurely cycle route. It seems this road is being closed to benefit visiting cyclists with no thought for the locals.

“If this road is closed then residents in Rosewell will effectively be cut off from Roslin, the Bush and the Edinburgh City Bypass. Traffic would be diverted to the already bottle necked Bonnyrigg/Lasswade junctions.

“Residents in Rosewell would also lose access to the local shops (we have one corner shop in Rosewell), the post office and our GP.”

Lucy Lauderdale added: “The GP surgery and pharmacy for many is in fact in Roslin. The NHS allocate Rosewell residents to that particular surgery based on the road through the glen.

“Taking that away from us is making a very large round trip to get to our local doctor, going through several other towns just to get there.

“The road closure does not make any sense to me and there is not a lot of foot traffic or horses down there as they tend to stick to the walking paths. I have certainly personally never had an encounter.”

A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “No decisions or actions to implement the proposal, among a number of Spaces for People second bids suggested by local people and community groups, have been taken to date.

“The project, which had not been considered by councillors, will only go ahead if local people are in favour of it and it is approved by elected members. So please give us your views by emailing [email protected] so we can find out if there is or is not wider community support.”

Jeremy Balfour, Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian, has criticised the proposal saying: “The proposal to close Roslin Glen Road is ludicrous and is in no way what the people of Midlothian want or need.

“I have constituents contacting me to say that they would consider moving home if the closure was to go ahead because their new commute would be impractical.

“Midlothian Council must listen to the concerns of residents and scrap these plans immediately.

“I encourage local residents to sign the petition and respond to Midlothian Council’s consultation before 30th October.”

To sign the petition against the plans, click here.