Edinburgh's Sheriffhall roundabout upgrade 'crucial to cope with new housing developments'

Plea to MSPs to press for go-ahead
An artist's impression of the proposed Sheriffhall roundabout flyover.An artist's impression of the proposed Sheriffhall roundabout flyover.
An artist's impression of the proposed Sheriffhall roundabout flyover.

THE upgrade of the Sheriffhall roundabout needs to go ahead to help cope with the growing number of housing developments in the surrounding area, two councillors have warned.

A review of the £120m scheme, which includes a flyover to ease congestion, was ordered in February as part of the SNP’s Holyrood budget deal with the Greens.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But now Midlothian councillor Stephen Curran, who represents Dalkeith and Danderhall, and East Lothian councillor Andrew Forrest, who represents Musselburgh, have written to MSPs asking them to help press Transport Secretary Michael Matheson to scrap the review and allow the project to proceed.

Their letter voices “growing concern” at the delays to the upgrade and argues the roundabout is a “key strategic transport improvement” which was approved as part of the £1 billion City Region Deal.

“Sheriffhall not only serves commuters and local traffic, it also accommodates traffic from all over the UK as commercial artery for the South-East Region. This latest ‘hold’ and ‘review’ does nothing to support our climate change ambitions or to accelerate business growth in Scotland.

“Midlothian and East Lothian are also expected to meet Scottish Government housebuilding targets. We remain committed both in terms of delivering on those targets and to the development of new homes. We reasonably expect our commitment be reciprocated with support for a fit for purpose transport infrastructure to accommodate this rapid growth.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The letter emphasises they are not pursuing this upgrade to increase capacity for car travel. “It’s about resolving the severe congestion, reducing air pollution, reducing accidents, injuries and journey times, improving traffic flow and improving accessibility for non-motorised users.

And it concludes: “We ask that you support our constituents, commuters and businesses by publicly demanding that the ‘review’ be scrapped to allow for progress, and that you relay your support for the grade separation to Michael Matheson.”

The flyover is intended to separate local traffic from through traffic on the bypass and allow bypass traffic to flow freely, improving journey times for all road users.

Lothian Tory MSP Miles Briggs said the councillors were expressing legitimate concerns about the delay to the development of Sheriffhall roundabout.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Both Midlothian and East Lothian Councils are sticking to their end of the deal by building more affordable homes, but the SNP Government are not pulling their weight.

“Commuters who use this junction regularly have been promised the development of Sheriffhall junction, to improve traffic flow at the junction, for years now.

“Pleas for the development of this junction, for which funding has already been secured, are being ignored by the Transport Secretary. I will continue to push for the development of this junction to improve traffic flow, safety and air pollution.

“Increasingly, poor decisions taken by SNP Ministers are holding back the economy of Lothian. Now more than ever need a Scottish Government that will protect jobs and work to boost economic growth.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.