People say no

Petrochemical giant Ineos has taken its proposal to shut off a section of the A904 Bo’ness Road and to erect gatehouses to the Scottish Government.

Locals are concerned that closing the road permanently would have a devastating impact on the community.

On Wednesday, James Bundy, who has lived in Bo’ness for 20 years, submitted the petition to keep the road open to the Scottish Government.

He said: “There are many concerns around shutting this road. One of them is that it is a connecting link between Grangemouth and Bo’ness and the infrastructure around other roads in the area is inadequate to deal with the increased traffic.

“The road adjacent is a single track road so if there was an accident, emergency services would struggle to get through.

“The decision is now being made by the Scottish Government and this will ensure that the residents’ voice will be heard.

“Ineos have not considered the impact the road closure would have on residents.”

Initially Ineos lodged a planning application with Falkirk Council back in January. A public meeting where residents voiced their concern soon followed.

However, no decision was taken by the local authority at a committee meeting held in March after Ineos supplied supplementary information.

Last month, it was revealed Ineos would be taking their proposals to Ministers.

An Ineos spokesman said: “We firmly believe removing public access along a segment of road that bisects the site is in the interests of safety and security.

“Local concerns about traffic and bus routes are being addressed with a range of mitigation measures and road improvements and we have consulted on these as part of the planning process.”