The public are to be denied a say in naming the new Forth road crossing, it has emerged.
The Scottish Government has insisted the £2.3 billion bridge will simply be called the “Forth Replacement Crossing.”
The “daft” decision was revealed in a letter from the SNP’s transport minister Keith Brown to Labour’s Mid Scotland and Fife MSP John Park.
Mr Park had urged the government to set up a public consultation on what the new £2.3 billion crossing will be called. But he has now received a response from Mr Brown dismissing the idea and insisting the bridge will simply be called the “Forth Replacement Crossing.”
“The project has been named Forth Replacement Crossing (FRC) since 2006 when the Forth Replacement Crossing Study was carried out to investigate the various crossing options available to replace the existing Forth Road Bridge,” said Mr Brown, the MSP for Ochil.
“Our focus at present is on completing procurement and preparing for construction to ensure the FRC project is delivered on time and within budget in 2016. There are no plans to change the project’s name.”
Labour have described the refusal as a “snub” to Fife because Keith Brown had said he was “elated” after a public consultation to name the replacement Kincardine Bridge in 2008.
Mr Park described the decision to stick to the title Forth Replacement Crossing as “just plain daft.”
“It may not be the biggest issue right now, but we do need a proper name for the bridge,” he said. “Calling it the Forth Replacement Crossing is just plain daft. I asked the SNP transport minister to facilitate a public consultation to name the new bridge, but he has refused. Clearly he thinks he knows better.
“But he himself campaigned for the same kind of public consultation for the new bridge in his constituency. It is hypocrisy but typical of ministers who have been in office so long they stop being in touch with what the rest of us think.”
Final proposals for the replacement crossing (FRC) the biggest Scottish infrastructure project for a generation were submitted to Scotland’s transport agency last month.
Construction of the bridge, upstream of the Forth Road Bridge, is expected to start soon after the contract is awarded and be completed in 2016.Can you do better? Submit your ideas for a name in the comments below or email news@thecourier.co.uk