Panmure Street underpass

The drain in the pedestrian railway underpass in Panmure Street blocked a while back and flooded in the recent heavy rain. There is now a thick layer of mud and gunge that people have to walk through.

The underpass is well used, not just by residents who live south of the railway line at this point, but also by visitors going down to the beach. I have contacted the roads maintenance partnership to ask if it would be possible to arrange a clean up.

Verge in East Balgillo Road

I have been contacted by residents in respect of the verge in East Balgillo Road. It is overgrown and starting to encroach on to the carriageway. 

The main concern highlighted to me is that this is a very busy stretch of road and it is now difficult for pedestrians to clearly see approaching vehicles when crossing from the path that leads from Sandy Park to Rossie Avenue.   

I raised the matter with the council's environment department and I have been advised that it will be attended to as soon as possible.

The attached picture shows how it looks from the other side of the road.

Consultation on late hours catering licences

The council’s licensing committee is consulting on its current policy as regards late hours catering licences.

The consultation document can be found on the city council's homepage www.dundeecity.gov.uk (under consultations and surveys). It will run until Friday 30th August 2013 and you can respond either by writing to the Principal General Services Officer, 21 City Square, Dundee DD1 3BY or by e-mail to licensing.board@dundeecity.gov.uk.

Temporary traffic order Grove Road

I have been advised that due to sewer repair works being carried out by Scottish Water the driving of any vehicle in Grove Road (from Dundee Road to Albany Road), will be prohibited on Monday 29 July 2013 for 5 working days.

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Dundee Road, Balmyle Road and Albany Road.

Pavement repairs Claypotts Road and Westfield Road

I am pleased to advise constituents of some additional pavement repairs in central Broughty Ferry.

One of the locations I receive a lot of complaints about is the concrete footway on the railway bridge at Claypotts Road. Some repairs were carried out here in late 2012 but there are sections that are still badly worn. Further works are planned at the west side of the bridge in late summer / early autumn.  

There are also some really broken up sections of concrete footway in Westfield Road and these are also scheduled to be repaired late summer / early autumn.

The attached photograph shows one of the sections in Westfield Road which has been marked off in yellow paint.

The Esplanade pavements

I recently contacted the roads maintenance partnership in response to concerns raised with me by residents about the pavement on the south of The Esplanade.  Some sections are blocked in places by sand and on other sections there is pooling of water. The carriageway also has a tendency to flood in places.

The city engineer has advised me that there are no current plans for any pavement improvement works here and that the existing footways are generally in good condition. A review of the capital footways programme is proposed for later in the year and the condition of The Esplanade footways will be considered at that time as part of this process.

The ponding on the carriageway may be caused by a blocked gully so he has arranged for all gullies in the area to be cleaned and jetted. Apparently some of the other ponding is caused by the geometry of the carriageway and would be extremely costly to improve. I am advised that other than the ponding the carriageway is in reasonable condition and would not justify major investment at this stage.

The removal of sand from the footways is the responsibility of the Environment Department and this concern has been forwarded to the head of environmental management for attention.

Surface dressing works on Dundee Road West

I have been contacted by residents about the recent surface dressing works on Dundee Road West. The concerns mentioned to me include the amount of dust that has been thrown up and whether the works have been effective as existing cracks in the carriageway are showing in the new surface.

I raised the matter with the roads maintenance partnership and in response I have been advised that when the treatment is applied initially there are some loose stone chippings and an element of dust. The action of the traffic assists in embedding the stone chippings into the road surface and as a result some dust will emanate into the surrounding environment which normally should only last for a short period of time. The road has been swept regularly to remove the loose stones and dust but the on-going prolonged dry spell is not helping.

There is to be a final sweep carried out this week prior to the road markings being replaced and I am told this will be carried out using water at the same time which should further address dust issues.

In respect of the effectiveness of the works I have been advised that the process is not structural but rather a preventative treatment to seal the road, improve skid resistance and prolong its life. Existing road joints and tracks will reflect through the surface; however this is normal for the treatment as the stone chips are imbedded into the existing surface.

Beach Lane: action to be taken

Earlier this year improvements were made to the path at Beach Lane that leads to the railway footbridge at Grassy Beach. This was done to ensure a pedestrian route was maintained for the period that the last section of the Douglas Terrace walkway was closed for refurbishment. At that time I reported that I ask for the vegetation to be cut back nearly every year and I hoped that this latest makeover would be maintained.

In recent days I have been contacted by frequent users of the path who are concerned that it will soon be overgrown again.  I raised the matter with the director of the environment department and have since been advised that arrangements are being made for it to be strimmed and weed killed.  I have also been assured that it will be put on the regular cycle for the pesticide application.

Saturday morning surgery

The council is now in recess until 10 August. A number of councillors don’t hold surgeries during the school holidays, even those who don’t use school premises for this purpose. I'm happy to advise my constituents that my Saturday morning surgery continues throughout the summer. For details please see opposite.

Beachie heritage walk

Last night I went on the beachie heritage walk organised by St. James Church.  The guide for the walk was Charlie Webster, my former colleague on the council. In an entertaining hour Charlie covered a number of interesting things such as Broughty Castle and the Rough Wooing War, the ferry service to Tayport, one of the world’s first roll-on roll-off ferries at Broughty Harbour where a spur line ran from the Dundee to Arbroath Railway, a connection with the Irish Civil War in 1921 and the explosion at Broughty gas works.

Charlie had a lot of interesting stories about some well known local characters as well as some notable and truly heroic former Broughty Ferry residents.

Last year I went on the walk around the immediate area of the church which was about the fishing community and the lifeboats. That walk has been repeated this year as well. You will be surprised by the history in such a small area. There is no charge for the walks but donations if desired are given to Broughty Ferry R.N.L.I

Details of the remaining dates for this years beachie walks and how to book a space can be found on the St. James web site at www.stjamesbroughtyferry.org.uk.

Broughty Gala Week

Broughty Ferry Gala Week kicked off on Sunday with the Gala Fete in Castle Green. There are activities arranged throughout the week that will appeal to all age groups and of course there is the legendary window guessing competition.

All the participating shops and business have displayed in their windows an article which they do not sell. The object of the competition is to identify what the item is. There are sixty to find in total. I can remember as a child spending many hours staring at the objects behind the windows hoping to find that elusive ‘odd’ article. Although it is open to young people under 14 many adults enjoy spending a while having a look as well.

Broughty Ferry Community Gala Committee and The Broughty Ferry Traders’ Association must be commended for organising such wonderful events enjoyed by so many.

Information about Gala Week and the various events can be viewed at the Welcome to Broughty Ferry website. There is a link to it at the bottom of this page.