Honeysuckle at Riverside! #dundeewestend
Many thanks to the resident who sent me this lovely photograph of Honeysuckle at Riverside :
Another update during the COVID-19 emergency
Further update – for Tuesday 23rd June – from Councillor Fraser Macpherson (West End) and Councillor Craig Duncan (Broughty Ferry) :
EASING OF LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS – MOVING TO PHASE 2
People who are shielding are now able to leave their home for exercise and to meet with one other household outdoors (max eight people in total) with physical distancing. People who are shielding can take part in non-contact outdoor activities such as golf, hiking, fishing etc.
People who are not shielding can now meet with more households outside. The limit increased from meeting one other household to meeting two households; eight-person overall limit and need for physical distancing remains. They can also use toilets indoors while visiting the outdoors of another household. (Hygiene measures are essential.)
People living alone or single people who live with their children can ‘bubble up’ with another household to create an extended household and act without social distancing as if they were living together. This includes non-cohabiting couples.
Also – from yesterday :
• Face coverings are mandatory on public transport.
• Places of worship can re-open for individual prayer or contemplation.
• Professional sport can resume – with public health restrictions remaining in place.
• Dental practices can re-open to see patients with urgent care needs.
• Construction sector can implement remaining phases of sectoral plan.
• College and university staff can return to make essential preparations for restart later.
• Accommodation can be provided for those required to stay away from home for work purposes.
From Monday 29th June:
• Indoor (non-office) workplaces resume once relevant guidance is implemented. Includes: factories, warehouses, labs and research facilities.
• Street-access retail can re-open once guidance is implemented. Interiors of shopping centres / malls remain closed for non-essential shops.
• Outdoor markets can re-open.
• Relaxation on restrictions on housing moves.
• Outdoor sports courts can re-open.
• Playgrounds can re-open.
• Registration offices open for high priority tasks.
• Marriages & civil partnerships allowed with minimal attendees – outdoors only.
• Zoos and garden attractions can open for local access only (5 miles).
• Review and announcement on how pubs and restaurants can open outdoor spaces safely on 2 July
FACE COVERINGS
With face coverings becoming mandatory on transport from Monday, the UK government have produced a guide for people to make their own: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-wear-and-make-a-cloth-face-covering
Please remember that medical grade masks are in short supply and are needed by our frontline workers.
CONTINUATION OF FOOD PROVISION AND FREE SCHOOL PAYMENTS OVER SUMMER
Children and families in Dundee will continue receiving their free school meal payments over the summer holiday period. The scheme will be extended from 29th June until 10th August in order to minimise the effects Coronavirus (Covid-19) is having on families. The extension was agreed today by the leaders of the political groups on Dundee City Council under essential business arrangements.
Since lockdown began, over 6,800 families with children eligible for free school meals have received the weekly payments directly to their bank accounts. The extension will mean families will continue to receive £11.25 directly, on a weekly basis, per child. Additionally, the Council’s will continue support for the city’s Food Insecurity Network with continued financial support to Dundee’s community food banks for food provision efforts over the summer holiday period.
The community food provision efforts have led to over 4,400 people benefiting from the service per week, which is a collaborative effort by 24 local food organisations, Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action and Dundee City Council.
Furthermore, Dundee Bairns have successfully been working with the Council since the start of lockdown to meet food demand, distributing up to 740 packed lunches daily through their network of community organisations. This will continue during the holiday period.
GREEN HEALTH PARTNERSHIP
The Green Health Prescription project still accepting referrals to help mitigate the adverse health effects of COVID-19.
In order to help combat the effects of social isolation, loneliness, stress, lack of physical activity and other side-effects detrimental to wellbeing it will continue to welcome self-referrals. If you or anyone you know could benefit from engaging with some level of physical activity, please contact us at GreenHealth@dvva.scot or on 07719 969 629.
The Partnership indicates, “We are currently working on creating a bespoke programme of activities delivered online for those who are 50+. Please get in touch if you would like to hear more about these activities and how they will be delivered.
Registered prescribers are encouraged to continue sending Green Health Prescription referrals so that we can help people start to rebuild their confidence and physical abilities. Priority will be given to those most vulnerable and affected by poor mental and physical health, and we will endeavour to help patients socialise again and access the outdoors for health benefits either through means of home-based activities.”
INFORMATION
UK Government news: www.gov.uk/search/news-and-communications
Scottish Government Updates: www.gov.scot/news
Dundee City Council updates: www.dundeecity.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19
Covid community helpline for food, shopping, prescriptions, finances, personal care: People in Dundee on the shielded list only – 0300 123 1403. People in Dundee who are vulnerable but not on the shielded list – 0800 111 4000
NHS Inform – https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19
NHS Tayside website: www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk
Helpline for those who do not have symptoms but are looking for general health advice Tel: 0800 028 2816.
Health Protection Scotland Guidance – www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19
Federation of Small Businesses: www.fsb.org.uk/coronavirus
Helpline for small businesses, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm. Tel: 0300 303 0660.
Ready Scotland Information – www.readyscotland.org/coronavirus
Tayside Cares – www.taysidecares.co.uk
SUPPORT AND ADVICE
This is an anxious and uncertain time but we want you to know that we are here to try to help constituents in whatever way that we can.
CONTACT DETAILS
WEST END WARD – Bailie Fraser Macpherson
Phone – Dundee 459378 (home)
E-mail – fraser.macpherson@dundeecity.gov.uk
Facebook updates : www.facebook.com/dundeewestend
Another great online gardening event! #dundeewestend
Another great online event tomorrow, promoted by Ninewells Community Garden – “Testing and improving your garden soil – Workshop and Q&A”.
You can get full details here.
Biodiversity initiatives for the West End and across the city
Numerous constituents have contacted me and the City Council’s environment team in Neighbourhood Services about trying to keep biodiversity gains as the maintenance of parks and other open-spaces re-starts. Residents will shortly notice the maintenance in parks and open space areas starts up again as there has been good progress with the re-start of ‘phase one’ of the resumption of services – for example in cemeteries and sheltered housing areas.
The Head of Environment has advised :
“… over the last 3 months, I have received substantial correspondence from residents requesting that the council actively considers not defaulting to previous grounds maintenance programmes, particularly in relation to reinstating grass cutting and herbicide usage. That, instead, the council takes this opportunity to consider a reset within our parks and green spaces which allows the further rapid development and expansion of bio-diverse and naturalised areas.
As the service emerges out of lockdown, in managing our environment there is also a requirement to balance active promotion of conservation practices and the desires of many within our communities with the need to maintain high environmental standards which also respects the wishes of our many other residents who wish to see a priority towards returning parks and green spaces to a high level of maintenance, preferably being restored at the earliest opportunity.
Recently, residents within the city’s West End, through discussion with local members, their Community Council and the Friends of Magdalen Green, have been working with council officers to undertake a community consultation. This actively seeks the views of residents to determine the appetite for a number of naturalised zones to be created; and for their potential future development as biodiversity areas which actively promotes the preservation of species and development of wider ecosystems.
Please see the link here.
It is hoped that the Magdalen Green consultation will provide a useful benchmark from which similar community initiatives, where required, can be replicated across the city to ensure that local spaces are managed to meet the aspirations of the wider communities, which they serve.
In the meantime, however, there is a requirement, prior to commencing with the wider reinstatement of grass cutting operations, to consider the immediate opportunity for additional locations throughout the city to be re-evaluated to support the wider introduction of biodiversity and naturalised areas at a quicker pace. This window is only available at this time due to the unique circumstances that have arisen over the last couple of months through routine maintenance having ceased, due to the pandemic.
In preparation, officers have undertaken an extensive citywide survey which has initially identified over 700,000m2 of parks and green spaces (around 17.5% of the overall grass that is currently maintained within Dundee’s parks and green spaces), which can be immediately designated as provisional Biodiversity or Naturalised Zones. These areas have been carefully selected from within each ward in the city.
The proposal initially is that as wider grounds maintenance activities resume citywide, these zones will be clearly defined and no further grass cutting or herbicide treatment will take place forthwith. It should also be noted that, through careful selection, these zones are being created within wider areas where a full range of grounds and parks maintenance activities will resume. It is therefore anticipated that these will not impact in any significant way to the overall appearance of the park or green space which they contribute towards. Indeed, it is likely in many cases, through the development of biodiversity zones and wildflower areas, these areas will actively enhance the beauty of our parks and green spaces.
It is also worth noting that careful attention has been taken, in identifying these proposed zones, that they will not impinge on existing pathways, sight lines, or within close proximity of residents homes. Similarly, care has been taken to ensure that the existing natural desire lines used by park users and particularly dog walkers will be unaffected by these proposals. There may also need for similar community engagement, to that currently underway at Magdalen Green, where required, however it is anticipated that there equally may be broad acceptance of these proposals, given the current collective support towards the protection and enhancement of our environment.
In summary, I believe that the above represents a significant and positive shift towards delivering upon actions that have been identified both within the city’s Biodiversity Plan and underlines a renewed focus towards our wider responsibility to the environment and reinvigorating our parks.”
In the West End, the actual proposals for naturalised areas are below. They cover part of the area on Riverside Drive near the playing fields and sections of Lochee Park, Victoria Park and at Elliot Road. There’s also Magdalen Green as the Head of Environment has alluded to above and you can see the areas consulted upon there at the link in his above comments.
I have spoken with the Head of Environment about this and given him some feedback. For example, the Elliot Road proposals, in my view, have the potential to look untidy and some residents on Eton Street look right out onto this. However, what is important is that, once open space and parks maintenance is fully back up to date, residents see what these actually look like, give their views and the council listens to any concerns and is responsive to them.
Update about recycling centres
From the City Council :
Dundee City Council is to expand its recycling service to residents by extending operating hours and accepting more waste materials.
From Monday 22nd June, residents will have to access Baldovie Household Waste Recycling Centre from 9am to 8pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on the weekends. The Riverside recycling centre will also expand hours to 9am to 5pm daily.
The facilities will begin accepting clothing & textiles, batteries, fluorescent tubes, oil, TV’s & monitors, soil and turf in addition to the previous materials, such as general waste, garden waste, wood, metals, rubble, fridges & freezers, and gas cylinders & bottles.
Additional vehicles will be granted access to the centres from Monday if they have the relevant permit. This will include vans, pick-ups, 8 to 11 seated mini-buses and vehicles with a single-axle trailer being accepted on site.
The revised service comes as the Council continues its recovery phase from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Household Waste Recycling Centres will maintain its strict guidelines and physical distancing at all times.
A number of rules must be followed in order to maintain a safe and controlled environment.
These include :
• Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms or self-isolating should NOT visit any HWRC site;
• The number of cars on site will be strictly limited;
• No commercial vans or twin-axle trailers will be allowed;
• Individuals should only visit when necessary, avoid queues and consider revisiting when quieter;
• No business waste will be accepted;
• We will be unable to provide assistance on site so only load items you can unload yourself;
• No walk-in disposals of waste will be allowed;
• The two-metre physical distancing rule must be respected at all times.
Further guidance on the Household Waste Recycling Centres is available on the Dundee City Council website here.
Residents are advised to check the website and social media channels before traveling, as rules are subject to change.