The case to improve two of the region’s trunk roads has been taken to the Scottish Parliament.
Campaigners were joined by politicians and the ferry operators, Stena Line, at Holyrood to push the case for improvements to both the A77 and A75.
They met with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scotland’s Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth – despite her previously having said she was unavailable.
Stranraer councillor and campaign team member Willie Scobie said: “We put our case to Ms Gilruth for both trunk roads to be improved to dual carriageway standards, not least because of the lack of investment over decades but, more importantly, because it was crucial for both the Scottish and Northern Ireland economies.
“We were disappointed just how much the Transport Minister did not know about these trunk roads and how we challenged the accuracy of the spend that the minister had been given on these roads with the minister to come back to us and clarify.
“What we did take from the meeting is that the minister is to look at her diary to fix a meeting in the early part of the New Year to meet again with us in Stranraer.”
In the Holyrood chamber, Ms Gilruth said: “I had a very positive meeting with the action group. I made time to meet the group and to listen to its concerns.
“I had a wide-ranging conversation with the group, including, in relation to the UK Government. A wide range of matters was discussed.”
The Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Review includes plans to realign the A75 at Springholm and Crocketford.
And the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review also hints at a significant upgrade for the route – despite roads being a devolved matter.
As well as meeting with Mr Sarwar and Ms Gilruth, the campaigners also met with politicians from the SNP, Labour, Tories and Lib Dems.
The A77 campaign team’s John Campbell highlighted the extent to which he feels the A77 and A75 have been neglected for upgrades and asked for a “fair share of capital investment”.
Linda Dorward, co-leader of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “We want to grow our economy to support a business infrastructure that halts, in fact reverses, outward migration, promotes fair pay, lifts a number of Dumfries and Galloway residents out of poverty and realises ambitious green targets. “We realise that to do this we need to provide the arterial infrastructure to ensure business are confident of investing and moving to this part of the country and we need Scottish Government to recognise and share that ambition.”
The meeting also heard from John McColm, a retired operations manager with P&O Ferries, as well as Stena Line communications manager Simon Palmer.
He said Stena was keen to create Scotland’s first green port at Cairnryan – but needed investment in the two trunk roads within 15 years.
Mr Sarwar concluded by asking South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth for an early meeting with Ms Gilruth.
“It is now up to the MSPs to summon the SNP Transport Minister to a meeting of the cross party group to impress on the minister the need for proper investment on these trunk roads in the south west of Scotland.”
