Exhibitions and Public Consultations
The following information outlines a summary of the Exhibitions and Consultations undertaken during the design development and construction of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project.
Exhibitions
During construction, Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP), the consortium responsible for the delivery of the project held two Information Days in 2015 to provide an overview of the works:
- Thursday 21 May - Holiday Inn Express - 1 Hamilton Road, Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell
- Thursday 13 August - Hilton Strathclyde Hotel - Strathclyde Business Park, Bellshill
Prior to construction, Transport Scotland held a series of public exhibitions during October and November 2013, to provide an update on the project and to give an indication of what the finished road network would look like.
Public Exhibitions 2013
| Tuesday 8 October | Broomhouse Hall, 2 Baillieston Road, Broomhouse, G71 7SB |
| Wednesday 9 October | Whifflet Community Centre, Easton Place, Coatbridge, ML5 9EW |
| Thursday 10 October | Sir John Wilson, Town Hall, Stirling Street, Airdrie, ML6 0AS |
| Monday 21 October | Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, Glasgow, G34 9JW |
| Wednesday 23 October | Alona Hotel, Strathclyde Country Park, Motherwell, ML1 3RT |
| Thursday 24 October | Viewpark Parish Church, 400 Old Edinburgh Road, Uddingston, G71 6PJ |
| Monday 18 November | Bothwell Bridge Hotel, 89 Main Street, Bothwell, Glasgow, G71 8EU |
| Tuesday 19 November | Swinton Primary School, 2 Rhindmuir Road, Swinton, Glasgow, G69 6AZ |
Materials from the 2013 Public Exhibitions can be accessed below.
Historic Consultations and Public Local Inquiries
During the planning and design phase, Transport Scotland undertook numerous consultations as part of the development of the scheme. A summary of these public exhibitions, meetings, and leaflet drops are listed below:
September 2005 - Public exhibitions undertaken to publicise and consult on the options considered for the M74 Raith Interchange works and the preferred proposal. A questionnaire/consultation leaflet was distributed to gather public opinion on the proposals.
December 2005 - Leaflet distributed to 25,000 properties within the vicinity of the A8/M8 corridor to consult with the public on the preferred proposal for upgrading the A8 to motorway between Baillieston to Newhouse.
March/April 2006 and October/November 2007 - Public exhibitions held at a number of venues in the vicinity of the A8/M8 to consult with the public and interested parties on the proposed works. The Draft Road Orders and the Environmental Statement for the A8 upgrade were published and re-published prior to these exhibitions to allow scrutiny of the proposals and objections to be raised.
March 2007 - Draft Road Orders and the Environmental Statement for the Raith Interchange proposals were published to allow public consideration.
March 2007 - Public exhibitions were held to consult with and inform the public of the proposed upgrade at Raith Interchange.
May 2008 - Information leaflet on the widening works distributed to the 3,700 properties within a 600 metre wide corridor of the affected motorway network.
May 2008 - Draft Road Orders and the Environmental Statement for the proposed widening works were published to allow public consideration.
June 2008 - Public exhibitions held at five venues in the local communities to consult and inform the public of the proposed widening and other improvements to the existing motorway.
January 2011 - Made Orders were published for M74 Junction 5 (Raith) and M8 M73 M74 Network Improvements schemes.
March 2011 - Made Orders were published for M8 Baillieston to Newhouse scheme.
Public Local Inquiry
A Public Local Inquiry (PLI) was held for both the A8 upgrade between Baillieston and Newhouse and the improvement works to sections of the M8 M73 and M74.
In each case, the Inquiry was open to the public and was held before a Reporter appointed by Scottish Ministers. Following each PLI, each Reporter presented his findings to Scottish Ministers in a report setting out his conclusions and recommendations.
Glasgow – Edinburgh Completing the M8
The PLI for the A8 upgrade was held in Baillieston and considered the objections to the proposed upgrade. The PLI which was held in July 2008, lasted for approximately three weeks.
The Finance Secretary announced on 14 December 2010, that he had considered the findings and recommendations of the Reporter from the PLI and would give the go ahead for the upgrade to motorway status for the A8 Baillieston to Newhouse.
M8/M73/M74 Network Improvements
This PLI was held in Hamilton in April 2009. The subsequent Ministerial Decision to proceed with the proposed works was received in January 2010.