A plan to relieve traffic congestion at one of Scotland's worst roundabout has been backed by Aberdeen City Council.

A £14m design to ease delays at the city's infamous Haudagain roundabout will now be sent to the Scottish Government for final approval and funding. More than 100 homes in Middlefield would be bulldozed to make way for a new dual carriageway link road connecting North Anderson Drive with the western arm of the A96 Auchmill Road, pencilled in for completion within three years.

Councillors at a full council meeting could not agree whether the proposal would regenerate or 'decimate' the community.

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Opposition Labour councillor, Jenny Laing moved that the council back the more expensive £24m option of having the roundabout enlarged, a new Mugiemoss Road railway bridge built, and Mugiemoss Road realigned and dualled from the Haudagain to the Persley Bridge roundabout.

She said 274 properties would be affected if a new road was built through Middlefield and people currently on the council-house waiting list would have to wait until Middlefield residents were relocated.

Labour's amendment was defeated by 29 votes to 11. Local councillor and depute council leader, Kevin Stewart said money from any sale of land following completion of the link could be ring-fenced and ploughed into the regeneration of Middlefield.

He said: "What we're going to be asking the people of Middlefield is to take some pain for the gain of the whole of Aberdeen. This is an opportunity as far as I'm concerned. It's an opportunity we have to improve transport infrastructure in the north-east and it's an opportunity to kick-start regeneration in Middlefield."

(GK/JM)