One of Scotland’s most controversial road developments could be stopped in its tracks by a few colonies of roosting bats, wasting £51 million of taxpayers’ money, say campaigners. Soprano, pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats have been discovered in the International School of Aberdeen, which is set to be demolished to make way for the new Aberdeen bypass.

The bats are protected under European law, making it illegal to destroy their roosts unless suitable alternatives are provided for them nearby. According to experts that means it will be “impossible” to knock down the school. A decision by the Scottish Government on whether or not to give the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route the green light is overdue. Ministers have been considering a secret report from last year’s public inquiry since July.

Aberdeen’s controversial bypass has been given the green light after plans were approved by Scottish ministers. The 28-mile Western Peripheral Route will provide a link between towns in the North, South and West of Aberdeen. Ministers say the road will bring significant benefits the city of Aberdeen and the entire north-east.

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth John Swinney said: "The AWPR is one of the most important infrastructure projects in the North East, bringing a range of substantial benefits to the region. The route will provide a much needed bypass around Aberdeen linking existing major roads and key locations such as the airport, park and ride sites and the major industrial estates around the city. The bypass will reduce congestion in the heart of the city as well as remove thousands of vehicles from the area's rural roads which are unsuitable for such high volumes of traffic."

The Scottish Government has approved the upgrading of the key arterial Aberdeen to Ellon road. Keith Brown, the new transport minister, approved the scheme for a new section of dual carriageway, with flyovers, between Balmedie and Tipperty in Aberdeenshire.

However, the road is linked to the proposed Aberdeen bypass, which is the subject of a legal challenge. The A90 upgrade project was highlighted in the SNP administration's draft budget for 2011-12, announced last November.

WORK finally began today on the long-awaited Aberdeen bypass - 64 years after plans to end the gridlock gripping Europe’s oil capital were first mooted. Keith Brown, the Scottish Transport Minister, signalled the start of the transformational transport project as he visited the outskirts of the city to cut the first sod for essential ground investigations for the 28 mile Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).

The final barrier to the start of construction on the road was removed last month when five judges at the Supreme Court unanimously rejected a last ditch appeal appeal by protest group RoadSense to challenge the Scottish Government’s go-ahead for the vital route. The £1 million contract for the ground investigations for the route was recently awarded to Soil Engineering Ltd and will take up to six months to complete.