FAMILIES living close to the new Forth Road Bridge may have to wait ten years before they can claim compensation for the noise and pollution caused by the £4 billion project.
People living close to where the new crossing will be built in South Queensferry said the value of their properties has already been hit by the bridge proposals.
And they face five and a half years of disruption once construction work starts in 20
11.
Transport bosses said they will only publish information on compensation after the final road alignment is confirmed later this year.
But general compensation guidelines say people whose homes are affected by new roads projects cannot make any claim until a year after the project is completed – which means around 2018.
Alan Doig, 40, whose home in Clufflat, South Queensferry, is just 30 metres from the proposed route of the approach roads. He is furious at the prospect of such a long delay and fears it could be even longer.
He said: "What are the chances of the project being finished on time anyway?
"It's just making a bad situation worse. We should not have to wait all that time. There should be some kind of interim payment to at least compensate us for what is happening.
"We are going to have to endure at least five years of construction, noise and pollution before the new bridge opens.
"They just gloss over the whole issue of compensation. If you ask about it, they just say there is legislation in place, but you can't claim until well after the completion of the project."
Mr Doig said he was not wanting to sell his house, but one neighbour had had her house on the market when the bridge announcement was made.
"She was told before the announcement she could probably get £280,000 or £290,000 for it, but once the announcement was made she was told she'd be lucky to get £260,000 – and that's if she could sell it at all.
"She had already bought somewhere else, so she has moved out, but the house is still on the market."
Edinburgh West Liberal Democrat MSP Margaret Smith also condemned the way the compensation issue was being handled.
She said: "People are starting to get quite concerned about this.
"The basic idea of what people are going to be entitled to should be available now. That is not something that has to wait for the alignment. Individuals and families need some reassurance.
"Then, when the details of the alignment are clear, people should be able to phone and find out what their entitlement is.
"This is such a massive issue for people. There is no room for confusion."
A spokeswoman for Transport Scotland, which is in charge of the bridge project, said: "At present, we can only advise on the basis of how compensation is currently dealt with in relation to all our road schemes. Once the final alignment for this scheme is announced, we can then give specific information for this project.
"If property is affected by certain physical factors, such as noise arising from the use of the new road once in use, then a claim can be made on the first anniversary of the opening."
She said the year's delay was so the road and its use had time to settle down and could be measured effectively.
The full article contains 572 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
