Candidates for the Inverness and Nairn seat at the next Holyrood elections share commitment to A96 dualling project
Candidates to the Inverness and Nairn seat at the coming Holyrood elections have voiced their commitment to push for the development of the A96 dualling project — which includes the Nairn bypass.
This was in response to a recent call by Culloden and Ardersier councillor Trish Robertson to reignite calls for the development to be prioritised, after this summer saw the road often flooded by traffic due to incidents and roadworks — a problem which impacted also communities living in rural areas around the trunk road, who have seen smaller b-roads they rely on also impacted by heavy traffic.
It comes as concerns in the area — particularly around the ‘unofficial bypass’ road between Inverness and Nairn — have been raised by local communities, with a meeting held in Croy in September to share the issues around road safety that local residents experience on a daily basis.
The current MSP for the constituency Fergus Ewing, who announced earlier this year he will run as independent at the coming Holyrood elections breaking out of the SNP — which he has been a member of for 50 years, said he is “determined” to see the Nairn Bypass approved and a clear timetable for the project published.
“It is frankly outrageous that this has not happened years ago,” he said.
“All parties support it, and eye-watering amounts of money have been spent, without an inch of tarmac being laid.
He said that, according to a response to an FOI request, as at August 2024 more than £89,370,000 had been spent on the A96 dualling programme, and a further sum of almost £6million had been spent on the A96 corridor review.
He continued: “Fiona Hyslop has been called on time after time to issue a clear plan and timetable. She has done so for the A9 — so why not the A96?
“Nothing has happened over the past four years of any consequence.
“Many feel that the SNP prefer to spend money in the central belt. The total failure of the SNP to honour its promises was a main reason why I decided to leave the SNP after 50 years membership. I was simply not prepared to defend the indefensible.
“The Nairn Bypass is for me unfinished business. I am to stand again as an independent and a major plank of my campaign is to press the next Government to deliver on the A96 and Nairn bypass.
“In addition safety measures are needed to deal with the existing problems of rat runs and incidents and I have worked with people locally on these matters for many years and will continue to do so.”
The new SNP candidate for the seat, Emma Roddick, who is currently MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said she has been in “constant dialogue” with Ms Hyslop and her officials about this issue and has been sharing updates with interested constituents.
She said: “I have been very clear in Parliament about the impact of road closures and works on folk in the local area, and in particular have been working hard to find a way forward that allows the installation of a Nairn Bypass to progress as early as possible within the overall works.
“I agree this is a priority and I have also been engaging with the Planning Minister and Highland Council on the issue of new development causing pressure on existing infrastructure ahead of works as I appreciate, being a regular user of the road, how dramatic these impacts can be.
“I can assure anyone interested that I am doing all I can to keep the pressure up on this issue and find solutions that relieve the people of Nairn of this hassle as soon as possible – my goal now is to see progress on commitments before the election next year, but I would absolutely continue to address all related issues if successful in 2026.”
Following the recess period, she sent an official letter to Ms Hyslop asking for updates on decisions taken on the priority of the Nairn Bypass within the overall A96 corridor works, and whether the government could provide guidance for the local authority to mitigate “the impact of ongoing development and associated traffic.”
Lib Dem candidate, Neil Alexander said he has requested a meeting with Fiona Hyslop and Transport Scotland to discuss both projects in a public meeting and calling for “a firm project completion date for the Nairn Bypass, as well as expected completion dates for all remaining sections of the A96 dualling project”
“I would also call on all fellow candidates to firmly commit to backing the dualling project if elected next year,” he added.
“In my letter I’ve also requested a meeting with the minister, as well as Transport Scotland in Nairn to discuss both projects in a public meeting. This is because in my recent FOI request, we found that there have been no meeting requests from any current MSP since July 2023 to the Scottish Government on the Nairn bypass, well over two years ago. The same FOI showed that no meetings had been requested or taken place on the topic of the A96 dualling project since January 2024 – this shows a real lack of action on such an important issue by our local MSPs.”
Scottish Labour candidate Shaun Fraser was in attendance to the community meeting organised at Croy Hall last month — the only candidate present.
“Action needs to be taken immediately to address the increasingly dangerous nature of the Battlefield Road (B9006) and the B9091 as traffic levels increase,” he said.
“Person after person at the Croy Hall event spoke of speeding and crashes over the years, it painted a chilling picture. The priority in that regard needs to be police enforcement of the speed limit and traffic calming to be put in place. The nature of these roads has changed.
“But the event also highlighted how important it is that the Nairn Bypass and upgrading of the A96 is driven forward as a priority. The inaction from government on this issue has consequences and ripples out to surrounding communities, as residents in Croy, Cawdor and Sunnyside can attest.”
According to Mr Fraser, there is a “disconnect between the rate of growth of Inverness and Nairn and the amenities and infrastructure” present.
“Our services haven't kept pace with how our communities are growing. This doesn't just apply to our roads, which are getting busier all the time, and the A96, but our lack of schools, lack of new GP surgeries, dentists, and nurseries, too. We cannot keep approving private housing developments without first putting the right infrastructure in place. People aren’t just moving into houses - they’re building lives, and they deserve proper services to support them.”
He said Highland Council “should hold private developers to a much higher standard”, so that they “must contribute meaningfully to the communities they’re shaping and upgrade services in line with this”.