Procedure in Schemes and Orders for Special Roads and Trunk Roads

Part of Clause 1 – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 17 February 1970.

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Photo of Mr Eustace Willis Mr Eustace Willis , Edinburgh East 12:00, 17 February 1970

I think that I expressed some doubts about this in Committee, because I was probably concentrating on the 50 metres point, because, certainly in an urban area, 50 metres would be rather too much. If it were possible to deviate a six-lane motorway through the Meadows, in Edinburgh, by 50 metres, which I understand is likely to be proposed, that would need to be looked at very seriously.

I was encouraged by what my hon. Friend said about the ability to put figures very much lower than that in the order itself. However, I neither accept nor follow his argument about historic buildings. When the line of a road is being made, surely one looks for historic buildings. They are not suddenly discovered under the surface of the ground. If it is not known that they exist when the line of the road is made, there must be something wrong with those making the road.