Construction is scheduled to start this summer on Britain's biggest new roadbuilding scheme: the M74 northern extension in Glasgow. Costing at least £500 million and due for completion in 2008, the proposed route includes homes, businesses and historic buildings in Glasgow's southern suburbs. One MSP has described it as a 'five-mile, six-lane monster defacing Glasgow'.

A lot of the homes along the route which will be most affected are council estates. Despite the Scottish Executive's year long Public Local Inquiry (PLI), conducted by one of their most senior planners, Richard Hickman, delivering a negative report in March 2005, the Executive has nevertheless announced its decision to go ahead with the road.

Arguments in favour of the road focus on supposed economic and environmental benefits: creating jobs, providing 'regeneration' to the area and easing congestion. However, according to the results of the inquiry, the M74 extension would provide only a temporary reduction in congestion, one soon outweighed by increased traffic – the road 'is expected to increase vehicle trips in the Glasgow area by a further 1.5-2.5%'. It is also predicted that carbon dioxide emissions would increase by 135000 tonnes a year (an increase of 5.7% in the study area) – hindering Scottish attempts to reduce emissions, and especially ironic coming at a time when Blair claims to be prioritising the problem of climate change at the G8.

For local residents the road will mean increased noise and fumes, not to mention a physical barrier cutting through their community, yet they will not benefit from it as much as commuters who use it to whizz past twice a day. The inquiry also suggests that the road will make public transport connections to the area worse, increasing social exclusion, and is sceptical of the claims of economic benefits: most jobs created are likely to be short term or moved from other areas of Scotland, relocating the problem of unemployment rather than solving it.

The report concludes:

'[L]ooking at all the policy, transport, environmental, business, and community disadvantages of the proposal as a whole, it must be concluded that the proposal would be very likely to have very serious undesirable results; and that (in the context of the advice in the SACTRA report, the transfer of jobs from other parts of Scotland, and the potential harm to existing businesses along the route) the economic and traffic benefits of the project would be much more limited, more uncertain, and (in the case of the congestion benefits) probably ephemeral. ...Accordingly, on the basis of the consideration of the material put forward by objectors, the TRA, and those who support the project, the conclusion is that this proposal should not be authorised, and that the compulsory purchase order should not be confirmed.'

Groups such as Joint Action on the M74 (JAM74) and Transform Scotland have suggested various other ways to deal with the congestion problem, such as improving public transport (especially relevent as 59% of Glaswegians do not have access to a car) and putting no-car lanes on the M8. So why is the government pushing ahead with this hugely unpopular project, when there are so many more socially useful and environmentally sustainable ways in which the money could be spent? It is widely believed that that the decision to build the road was taken before the inquiry began.

There has been extensive lobbying in favour of the road, principally from business groups. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Chambers of Commerce and various business including BAA, which owns Glasgow airport, have all been cheerleading for it. A group calling itself 'Complete to Compete' was formed, chaired by the Chief Executive of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Duncan Tannahil. In 2003 Mr Tannahill stated that 'this inquiry must not be allowed to delay the start of work by even a day.' The CBI, another key member of the group, has made repeated statements in favour of the scheme, in 2000 classifying it among their 'transport priorities for business'. When the Scottish Executive announced its intention to build the road, the CBI, AA, RAC and various prominent local businesses all issued statements in support of the decision.

The Scottish Executive is also considering a new piece of legislation to scrap public inquiries entirely in cases that are considered to be of 'national strategic significance'. Campaigners are worried that this legislation will be used to push through unpopular projects such as nuclear power stations and other road schemes such as the Aberdeen Western Bypass. Prescott tried and failed to pass a similar piece of legislation in England in 2001. The Scottish Executive, and in particular First Minister Jack McConnell, have been repeatedly criticised for listening to corporate lobbyists rather than the people who they allegedly represent; while this legislation will give most people less of a say in what gets built on their doorsteps, it is likely to work rather well for businesses.

For construction contracts, the route is split into three sections. Currently one of these only has two consortiums bidding, although three is generally the legal minimum. It is possible that potential contractors are put off by the contaminated land on parts of the route; or maybe they are worried about having to deal with protesters. It has not yet been ruled out that the road will be built and managed under PFI contracts.

Campaigners are still hopeful that the road can be stopped: JAM74 and FoE Scotland are lodging a legal objection to the scheme; having the results of the inquiry in their favour means a moral victory if not a physical one. Within hours of the decision to build the road being announced, over 100 people had pledged to take nonviolent direct action to stop it. Scotland has a strong history of anti-road campaigns, such as the Pollock Free State, a long-lasting and inspiring campaign against the M77 (which cut through a large area of public land including some ancient woodland), in which protesters occupied the site. Or perhaps people should look to the M11 link road campaign (Claremont Road), in which protesters occupied houses that were due for demolition. After the farcical planning process, for a lot of people this campaign is about restoring democracy as well as preventing a road from being built.

CRE8 SUMMIT

Cre8 Summit plans to present a positive alternative to the way the G8 Summit operates by working together to cre8 something positive in one of Scotlands poorest communities by working with the Glasgow Southside community to turn an area of derelict land scheduled to be used for the M74 into a garden and social space that the whole community can enjoy.
May – questionaires, leaflets and public meetings in the community
June - take the land for as long as the community want/can defend it.
www.dissent.org.uk/content/blogsection/20/
Email - cre8summit@riseup.net
Phone - 07981 954132