Last week the Marr Area Committee considered an application for a crematorium at Crathes. I had serious concerns about the access and issues over road safety which I felt had not been properly addressed. The coverage of the committee debate in the local paper The Deeside Piper did not reflect the balance of views expressed from local members. In fact only one quote was published about the entire story despite the fact that a reporter was present to hear what was said in great detail. In response to this lack of coverage and balance for readers I sent a Letter to the Editor of the Piper on Monday 16th September but was told that it would not be published this week because there was no space in the letter page. I am taking this opportunity to publish the letter in order that the concerns are made public about the roads issues. 

Sir,

I refer to the article of September 13 on the approval for a crematorium at Crathes. A balanced report of the debate at the Marr Area Committee would have been welcome for Piper readers. It is unfortunate that the reporter present at the committee did not reflect the comments of the two local members Cllr Linda Clark and myself who spoke out against the development primarily due to concerns over access and lack of proper road safety measures. Whilst it may be easy for the other councillors from the Marr area to brush aside such considerations in the rush to get a crematorium (and not in their backyard), there are still searching questions to be answered in terms of the pedestrian access across the busy A93, the speed limit through Crathes needing to be dropped to 30mph and the approach from the north along the unclassified Hirn road which will find it difficult to cope with large volumes of traffic. 

I will continue to do my best to ensure road safety is paramount in my local area but I am alarmed at the complacency shown in terms of the road infrastructure and the lack of attention to what could be very serious future road safety risks to motorists and pedestrians with this application.