MUNDELL PRESSED TO SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE SURROUNDING BASE

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“Investment at Faslane MUST include local infrastructure”:trident_safety

In the past twelve months, immense sums of investment have been promised for both Faslane and Helensburgh Waterfront. Brendan O’Hara, local MP commented “The town has been on a twelve month
high following the many promises of funding at both the base and the waterfront; but so far, neither promise has actually delivered any additional benefit to the Constituency I represent”.
“Faslane is largely accessible via the A82 and specifically the A814. These roads are single-carriageway and lifeline routes for the constituency. The A82 has attracted significant investment in recent years via the SNP Government. The A814 however, can be a perilous and narrow route and whenever there is an accident on the A82, traffic is diverted along the A814.

I have been inundated by Constituent complaints about the road
whenever there’s been a tragic accident.”
Whilst the local authority have installed signage to deter larger vehicles, the route is often congested if the A82 is obstructed. Upgrading the A814 would be a significant and costly undertaking and given that it services the Faslane base, it does not seem unreasonable that central funding be made available by the UK
Government to make substantial upgrades thereto.b0x7r24cqqxff3digo5yhcpee6l2el
Brendan O’Hara further commenting “on the back of David Mundell MP, sole Tory voice in Scotland and Secretary of State’s visit to the area last week, I took this opportunity, whilst the visit was still fresh in his mind, to write to him about what I see as an essential part of the UK Government’s investment at Faslane.
It does not seem unreasonable that if the amount of traffic entering and leaving Faslane and surrounding sites is set to increase considerably over the next few years, servicing an asset under the control of the UK Government, that the local authority and Scottish Government should have to meet the cost of ensuring that those roads are fit for purpose. With so much investment at the base, it would be unacceptable for Helensburgh and Lomond to become the poor relation to the base. I have specifically asked David Mundell
MP to “present a favourable case for the necessary investment locally” within Central Government.”
“I look forward to reporting back that this funding will be forthcoming and that Helensburgh and Lomond will secure the future infrastructure it desperately needs.”