Wednesday October 22nd 2025
An aerial view of the land where the relief road is planned to be built.
This View has been written by the Damhead and District Community Council
Midlothian Council have submitted their £55 million plans for reliving congestion at Straiton (25/00521/DPP. The Council claims a number of benefits ALL of which are either reliant on other developments and/or planning or based on inaccurate out of date information.
Benefits claimed:
– It will ease congestion around the Straiton Junction. FALSE
These claims are reliant on the delivery of the Sheriffhall level separation. This development at Sheriffhall is highly contested and does not as yet have planning permission. Even if Sheriffhall were to proceed, congestion modelling shows that traffic at Straiton Junction would worsen, not improve, under the Relief Road proposal.
– It will boost the local economy by £189 million (the timescale for this is not given). FALSE
This estimate is based on data including the roundabout between the A702 and Bush Loan, which already has planning permission (24/00520/DPP) and has funds available. The estimated boost has not been revised and as this new junction overcomes the restriction on development at Easter Bush, it is likely to have a considerable effect on the estimated boost from the Relief road. Neither has it been updated given the spiralling costs of the project.
– Will improve active travel. FALSE
The “Sustainable Travel Corridor” is independent of the Relief road, that aims to deal with the “issues with congestion on the route had impacted on local communities and pedestrians and cyclists”, and t is hoped that Midlothian Council deliver this in a way that overcomes the “Existing active travel routes are of poor quality, and safety issues have been identified for cyclists and pedestrians at numerous locations along the corridor.”
– Allow for the continued expansion of Midlothian Science Zone and the University of Edinburgh’s Easter Bush. FALSE
This has already been accomplished by the Council through the roundabout between the A702 and Bush Loan and is not reliant on the Relief Road.
Midlothian’s plans, we have compiled a list of the negative impacts of the Relief road that are likely to affect the local communities and the City of Edinburgh, as noted in the submitted plans.
Negative impacts:
– Increased traffic at the Straiton roundabout with or without the Sheriffhall level separation.
– Increased congestion at the Straiton Retail Park.
– Increased congestion at the A701/Burdiehouse junction and increased traffic at the A702/A703 traffic lights.
An almost doubling the number of vehicles on Old Pentland Road and the introduction of a staggered junction with the Relief road. This will be a high accident risk.
– Almost double the number of vehicles on the A703, directing traffic passed the planned Beeslack Replacement High School (24/00415/DPP).
In excess of 6,000 additional cars will be expected to drive through the school site which spans the A703. This section of road is at high risk of flooding and not suitable as a route robust to climate change. A road far narrower than the A701.
– Increase the risk of flooding in vulnerable high risk water courses, Boghall Burn (that feeds into the Esk) and Pentland burn (that feeds into Niddrie and Burdiehouse burns). This is as a result of unrestricted piping of surface water from the Relief road into both these water systems. This is highly likely to increase flood risk in both Biston and Burdiehouse.
– Remove prime agricultural land from this greenbelt area negatively effect the surrounding rural businesses. Impacting food security and climate resillience.
Result in loss of vulnerable wetland/marsh habitat and destruction of a valued ecological system. The resulting loss of green space has known welfare implications.
It is a missed opportunity to develop active and green travel options/networks including to the expanding Easter Bush Economic Area. It has no provision for buses and will separate the new housing in Bilston and Loanhead from Easter Bush.
Social media sites indicate little to no support for this development in the local communities of Bilston, Roslin, Loanhead or Penicuik.There is no evidence that this planning application for the Relief road has support from the businesses at Straiton and Loanhead or the University of Edinburgh. It will divide the rural communityof Damhead and restrict houses development in the sites for housing put forward in the MLDP2.
At a time when money for essentials such as the replacement Beeslack’s High School is so tight, why is Midlothian Council pursuing this?
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