Improvements at the Riverside area

I am pleased to report a number of proposed improvements in the Riverside area to the road surface and parking situation as follows :

+ Parking improvement :  On Monday evening, the council’s City Development Committee agreed to a waiting restrictions at the parking area near the Bridgeview Station Restaurant.    This will restrict parking to 2 hours meaning the car park will be used for people using the playing fields and visiting the restaurant and stop all-day parking.    I have long campaigned for this at the request of the football pitch users and residents who are patrons of the restaurant.

An additional disabled bay will be provided and the long unmade parking area to the west will remain without parking restriction.

It will not be possible to undertake the change until after the new flooding defence works take place in the summer.

+ Surface improvement 1 :  A positive by-product of the flooding defence works in the summer is that my request to have the long unmade parking area to the west of the above area will be properly surfaced for the first time, greatly increasing the amount of parking with a quality surface.

+ Surface improvement 2 :   The surface in front of the nearby Riverside Pavilion on the north side of Riverside Drive has become very uneven again, with numerous potholes, including a large one at the entrance.       I raised this with the council’s Neighbourhood Services and the Projects and Development Manager has responded positively as follows :

“I have … arranged the entrance of the car park to addressed and we will look to fill in more of the larger pot holes.  … We are looking to do more works down at Riverside and are looking to put an item to Committee in the Spring.” 


Improving parking for the West End – some progress

Residents will recall that, last March, I attempted to get Dundee City Council to undertake a new consultation with residents and local businesses on ways to improve West End parking.    My motion then attracted 12 votes but I was outvoted by 15 SNP and Conservative councillors so nothing has been done since to tackle this vital issue. 

Last night, at the City Development Committee, I revisited the issue and proposed the following new motion :

“Committee notes with concern that, following the consultation exercise in 2012 in part of the West End Ward relative to a possible residents’ parking scheme, the parking situation for residents and local businesses in the area concerned has worsened.

Committee therefore instructs the Executive Director of City Development to undertake a further informal consultation with community groups including West End Community Council, local residents, the business community and other stakeholders such as the University of Dundee, to ascertain views as to measures that may have public support for possible future introduction.    

The outcomes of this informal consultation should thereafter be reported back to this committee to determine which measures have public support and are viable;  and the potential scope of any residents’ parking scheme or schemes.  

Committee also instructs the Executive Director of City Development to undertake this exercise and report back on his findings and recommendations to this committee as soon as staff resources allow.”

I am pleased to say that, after an excellent deputation by two community representatives – Peter Menzies and Elaine Kuwahara – speaking in a personal capacity – and debate at committee, it was agreed that the possibility of progressing this through the Economic Development working group that is working on supporting new initiatives to support the Perth Road district shopping centre.    This will be discussed at its next meeting and, if there is no swift progress, I have reserved by right to take the motion above back to City Development Committee.

This is the first positive move by the council to sort the parking situation since the failed 2012 consultation exercise and I am pleased that at last some progress has at least started.   We now need momentum to really tackle and improve the parking situation.


Weekly Road Report – West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL – WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 23 JANUARY 2017

Blackness Road/Glamis Road – temporary traffic lights for 2 weeks for gas main renewal.

Nethergate (West Marketgait to South Tay Street) – closed on Sunday 29 January for water main installation works.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Greenmarket – prohibition of right turn into South Marketgait on Thursday 2 February from 9.00pm   6.00am for BT cabling works.

Nethergate (eastbound from South Tay Street to West Marketgait) – closed on Thursday 2 February from 9.00pm   6.00am for BT cabling works.


Getting things done – Morven Terrace and Ancrum Place sheltered housing

I had a meeting with residents of the Morven Terrace and Ancrum Place sheltered housing just before Christmas at which residents asked when the external stairwells would be repainted as part of external cyclical maintenance (ECM) works.    Tenants also asked about possible insulation improvements.

The council’s Housing Investment Manager has since updated me as follows :

We are planning to commence ECM works at Ancrum / Morven at the tail end of the 17/18 Financial year and I would confirm this will include a repaint to the stairwells and landings. Unfortunately this development is of a traditional build so is not a priority for External Insulation as it will have received cavity insulation in the past.

I have since been in correspondence with him regarding the properties’ Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing ratings to ensure all properties meet current standards.    

All properties meet minimum standards apart from two properties where old electric heating has since been improved with the provision of new gas central heating.  I am particularly concerned to ensure end terraced properties have efficient insulation as a number of tenants here have highlighted end terraced properties appear to be less warm.