End of week 3

Apologies for the gap in the blog; we've been busy preparing for our own witness sessions which began yesterday.

On Tuesday the evidence on contaminated land from Babcock's witness was completed, and then their Planning witness took up most of the afternoon.

On Wednesday, the first two witnesses for Forth Ports gave evidence - on shipping movements and on Planning. That left their 'Socio-Economic' (jobs) witness to appear this morning.

Then it was the turn of Joint Action Group witnesses. Jim Simpson went first with his evidence on Shipping Movements. Suze Anderson gave her evidence on Traffic and Transport after lunch. At the end of the afternoon, Sue Hamilton gave her evidence on the consultation process and on Visual Impact. All three were deemed to have stood up well to cross-examination by Babcock's QC.

There was a great turnout from the villages, particularly when we gave our evidence on Thursday. As throughout the first three weeks, this was greatly appreciated.

In recent days the timetable of next week has changed. The Inquiry will sit for just one day next week, on Monday 06 February. It will then break for the rest of the week. This break is to allow time to review and respond to material from a new witness. On Monday 13 February, the Inquiry will resume to start the second half which will concentrate on dredging and ecological issues. This is expected to last at least two weeks. We’ll let you know more when the details are available.