Day 1 of the appeal against the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route was certainly an interesting experience!
The Court of Session in Edinburgh is rather imposing, with a be-wigged judge in a fantastic red gown and a raft of similarly be-wigged QC’s and advocates. But the atmosphere was friendly and open; a civilised discussion rather than a heated argument.
Tuesday was devoted to the start of Road Sense’s argument that the amount of public participation in the process of choosing a final route was fatally flawed. Much of the argument stems from the way that the Aarhus Convention (on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters) has been applied in the UK, and whether the Scottish Ministers complied with the Convention in the way the route of the AWPR was chosen.
Whilst complicated, it all sounded very compelling to me – but it’s the judge that needs to be convinced. The appeal is due to last around six days. We will keep you up to date!
Have you had experience of fighting an appeal as a community group? What do you think about the AWPR? Please share your thoughts with us below, and do pass this post on.
Pingback: Paper, paper paper: Aberdeen appeal day 2 «