New Year message

From Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson

"Can I wish everybody a very Happy New Year.

"And can I offer a special thanks to all the NHS staff and the police officers and the emergency services who haven't had a good break over the last few days and instead have been working to keep the country ticking over. I hope you get a well-earned rest soon.

  

"Of course, this is traditionally the time of year when we say out with the old and welcome in the new.

 

"And given the rocky year we’ve just been through, I suspect many of us will be hoping that’s the case more than ever.

 

"2016 will go down as one of those years when the world felt that it shifted a little on its axis. It became a different, often more troubling place.

 

"Change can often be good – necessary even; but some change can be unsettling too.

 

"So my hope for 2017 is that we see a little more stability and moderation.

 

"That applies right across the world – but it applies here at home too.

 

"People don’t expect governments to do everything for them. But they do expect them to make life a little easier.

 

"So, here in Scotland, that means we need to focus not on creating further division and instability; but on improving services and supporting business to get our economy moving again - to help families who are struggling to get by.

 

"My commitment for this coming year is to do everything I can to make sure that happens.

 

"To all of you here at home, and to Scots right across the world celebrating this evening -  all the very best for the coming year."

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of my constituents and readers of this blog.

Temporary traffic order - New Year Dook

Broughty Ferry Library- surgery details

Broughty Ferry Library will be closed from Thursday 22 December (13:00) until Wednesday 4 January 2017. It means that my Saturday morning surgery won’t be going ahead for the next couple of weeks. However I will be out and about and dealing with local issues over the festive period so if you had intended to come along to my surgery and would still like to see me then please telephone me or send me an email and I can make alternative arrangements.

Collingwood Street

I’m pleased to see work being carried out on the pavement in Collingwood Street. It’s being brought up to standard as part of the council’s unadopted footways scheme. Thankfully so far this winter the weather hasn’t been too bad so the work on this year’s batch of pavement improvements has made steady progress.

 

There are not too many unadopted pavements to go now, with a good number of Broughty Ferry pavements well placed to benefit from the unadopted footways scheme over the next couple of years. I will of course continue to look for ways to improve the priority of those Broughty Ferry pavements still to be attended to.

Bins and a box in Bughties Road

A couple of issues in Bughties Road have been raised with me by residents. The first is the lack of dog bins. There was previously one at either end of the street, attached to lampposts, but these were removed when the unadopted pavement on one side of the street was brought up to standard and new street lighting put in. I took the matter up with the council’s environment department and I have since been advised that the intention is to put the bins back roughly where they were before, but they will be attached to their own poles rather than lampposts.

 

The second issue is the Royal Mail pouch box which has been pushed over and is sitting at a jaunty angle. I contacted the council’s roads network team about it who very kindly reported it to Royal Mail requesting it to be removed if it is no longer needed and repaired if it is still in use.

Waste and Recycling Festive Arrangements

Household bin and trade waste collections from Monday 19th to Saturday 24th December 2016 & Monday 26th to Saturday 31st December 2016 will be carried out as normal.

 

All domestic recycling collections during the festive period will be carried out as scheduled. Please consult your collection calendar.

 

https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/forms/wastemgt_calendars.php

 

The household waste recycling centres at Riverside and Baldovie will be closed on Sunday 25th & Monday 26th December 2016 and Sunday 1st & Monday 2nd January 2017.  The centres will be open 9am - 4.15pm on all other days.

 

There will be no special collection / bulky uplift service from 23rd December 2016 until 4th January 2017.

 

If you have an item that could be re-used by someone else, please call The Community Re-Use Hub on 07565 811823.

New traffic warning signs

 It was suggested to me by local residents that it would be helpful to have signs in Forthill Drive alerting drivers to the fact that the street is within a sheltered housing area. Given the concerns raised about traffic safety I approached the council to ask if this would be possible.

 

I have now been advised by the roads network management team that arrangements for a 'frail or disabled pedestrians likely to cross road ahead' sign will be installed at the entrance to Forthill Drive from Nursery Road. The sign will be programmed for installation in the first quarter of 2017/18.

Christmas in Broughty Ferry

Dawson Park success

For a long time I have been requesting that improvements be made to the Dawson Park play area and I’m very pleased that at last something is to be done.

 

The Neighbourhood Services Committee this coming Monday is to be asked to approve a spend of £76,698 on playground improvements at the park. Earlier this year when I became aware of funding being made available I met with the council's landscape architect on site to discuss the proposal. The existing equipment will be refreshed and the fenced off area extended to allow the introduction of some additional new equipment. It is anticipated that the work will be carried out early in 2017.

 

At the November meeting of the committee it was agreed that Orchar Park would also receive some attention, including refurbished shrub beds and borders and additional benches. I will continue to press for Broughty Ferry’s other parks and open spaces to receive funding to carry out improvements.

Proposed Flood Protection Scheme

There is to be a further public consultation on the proposed flood protection scheme for Broughty Ferry. It will be held on Tuesday 13 December between 11am and 7pm in the Caste Green Leisure Centre. The letter from the City Engineer notifying neighbouring properties of the event says:

‘Since the last public exhibition in June 2016, Dundee City Council Engineers have been working on refining the details of the project, seeking to take on board comments and feedback from residents of Broughty Ferry.

 We would like to invite you to a second public exhibition at the Castle Green Community Centre, St Vincent Street, Broughty Ferry, and Dundee, DD5 2HA on Tuesday, 13 December 2016 between 11am - 7pm.

 

The aim of this public exhibition is to give an update of the project and seek opinion on the latest design proposals. We have arranged for a sample panel of the proposed wall to be placed at the notice board at Broughty Castle Pier. You are invited prior to the event to inspect and provide feedback.  On the day, members of the design team will be available to help answer any queries you may have.’

 

More information can be found on the flood protection page of the council’s website.  I would encourage all those who can make it to go along to the exhibition.

Christmas Lunch

I had a busy surgery on Saturday with Liam Kerr. Immediately afterwards Liam visited a number of shops in Broughty Ferry, along with a representative of the Federation of Small Businesses, as part of the Small Business Saturday campaign. The campaign celebrates every small business and encourages customers to spend their money in independent, local shops.

 

Later in the day we both attended Dundee Conservatives Christmas lunch at the Woodlands Hotel. Great to see so many members and supporters in attendance. Ross Thomson MSP was present as were the candidates for next year’s elections to Dundee City Council. Murdo Fraser MSP was the guest speaker and he gave an entertaining and interesting speech which included how the Scottish Conservatives are holding the SNP government to account.

Surgery with Liam Kerr MSP

 

 

Just a reminder that Liam Kerr MSP will be joining me again at my drop in advice surgery in Broughty Ferry Library this Saturday (3^rd Dec), 10:00-11:00. All welcome, no appointment required.

Take Pride in Your City events - December

Charity shop

Following a couple of busy Saturday morning drop in surgeries and a few home visits I did the afternoon shift helping at the Ferry Time pop up shop  at 39 Gray Street. It was good to see so many people coming in and supporting this Broughty Ferry charity.  

 

The shop will be there until Saturday 10^th December and all proceeds will be put towards keeping the timebank going. As well as some new and previously enjoyed items for sale, a chat with tea, coffee and biscuits is also available, so please call in if you would like to find out more about the timebank.

 

If anyone has any unused items and good-quality used items, but not clothes, these will be gratefully accepted to keep the shop topped up.

Temporary traffic order

I have been notified of the closure of a section of Claypotts Road for one day to allow Scottish Water to carry out a repair.

Christmas Lights Night

Don’t miss tomorrow’s Christmas Lights Night in Broughty Ferry. The traders’ association said: ‘This event has become a firm favourite with locals who enjoy coming together for this unique family community event, marking the start of the festive season with live music, fairground rides, street entertainment, performances from the Eastern Primary School Choir, Downfield Musical Society and presentation of children’s prizes and charitable donations. Meet Santa in his colourful sleigh at this great Christmas event! Hosted by The Broughty Ferry Traders’ Association in conjunction with Radio TAY and kindly sponsored by Gillies of Broughty Ferry.’

Road and pavement work updates

A couple of updates from the road maintenance partnership. I have been asked by residents when the work to resurface the carriageway in Whinny Brae will be completed as it was scheduled to last for one week from 31 October. Apparently the delay was due to Scottish Water having to a repair a water main. This repair has now been completed and the road maintenance partnership will be back on-site next week to complete.

 

Work to upgrade the unadopted pavements in Ardmore Avenue was provisionally programmed to start on Monday 10th October. I am advised that there was some unforeseen slippage in the unadopted footways programme. The revised date for starting in Ardmore Avenue is Monday 28 November.

Ferry Time charity shop

Details of the Broughty Ferry Timebank charity shop.

In Touch newsletter

I’m currently delivering my autumn/winter In Touch newsletter across Broughty Ferry. As well as containing a number of local news articles and updates it also has a contribution from Ruth Davidson MSP, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and a piece about Liam Kerr, the Scottish Conservative list MSP in the north east region. We have regular joint surgeries in Broughty Ferry Library and held our most recent one today.

 

I try to get round as many homes as possible with my newsletter but at this time of year, due to the darker afternoons, it takes a bit longer than usual. If you haven’t got a copy, but would like one, please let me know and I will pop round with one for you.

Road surface repair at junction

I am often contacted by residents about the condition of the carriageway at the junction of Montague Street/Navarre Street/Guthrie Terrace. It is in a very poor state and has been deteriorating for some time. My requests to fill potholes at this location are always actioned timeously but a more permanent repair is really required. There is also concern about the disintegration of the white lines at the junction.

 

The Roads Maintenance Partnership has advised me that the structural inlay programme is due to commence in the new year  and this junction has been included for resurfacing in mid January. The road markings will be renewed as part of these works. 

 

The junction is to be inspected by the roads maintenance partnership and if a stop line is required to be refreshed in the interim this will be done and actionable potholes will continue to be filled as required.

Temporary traffic orders:

I have been notified of the following temporary traffic orders:

 

1.      THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Reres Road / Abertay Street junction (prohibition of left turn into Abertay Street and right turn into Reres Road), Broughty Ferry.

 

This notice comes into effect on Thursday 17 November 2016 for 1 day.

 

       Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

 

Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Panmure Terrace / Abercromby Street / Hamilton Street and Abertay Street / Monifieth Road / Reres Road.

 

For further information contact (01382) 433082.

 

 

2.      THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water manhole repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Brook Street (at its junction with Church Street), Broughty Ferry.

 

This notice comes into effect on Sunday 6 November 2016 for 1 day.

 

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

 

      Alternative routes for vehicles are available via Westfield Road / King Street / Brown Street.

 

      For further information contact (01382) 433082.

Surgery with Liam Kerr MSP

Just a reminder that I will be holding another joint drop in advice surgery with Liam Kerr MSP this Saturday in Broughty Ferry Library. It’s the usual time, 10am to 11am. No appointment is necessary.

Forthill art exhibition

This is always a great event. Every year I’m impressed by the range and quality of the work on display. Well worth a visit.

Kerrington Crescent

I’m pleased to see that work has started to upgrade the unadopted pavement on the south side of Kerrington Crescent. The north pavement was upgraded and adopted by the council a couple of years ago.

 

When I was first elected as a councillor in Broughty Ferry one of my goals was to try and get as many unadopted pavements as possible upgraded. This was in response to the complaints I had received about them from householders and pedestrians. Back then Broughty Ferry had a significant number of unadopted pavements, including some busy main roads, but since the council introduced its unadopted footways scheme a lot have been attended to. I have always looked for ways to improve the priority ranking of the unadopted pavements in Broughty Ferry and in a lot of cases my efforts have proved successful, the pavement on the north side of Kerrington Crescent being one of them.

Success for Broughty Ferry community groups and vote for Barnhill Rock Garden

On Wednesday Keep Scotland Beautiful held the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ annual seminar and certificates were presented to participating groups. It’s Your Neighbourhood is a campaign with an emphasis on community participation. A series of certificates are available to recognise the work done by local groups to make their environment clean, green and sustainable.

 

Queen Street Community Garden, maintained by Grove Academy pupils, received a Level 5 Outstanding certificate, as did the Friends of the Barnhill Rock Garden. Well done to both on achieving such a high assessment. Several other Dundee community groups were also recognised at the event.

 

Additionally, Barnhill Rock Garden has been nominated for the Fields in Trust UK's best park award. You can vote for it via the Fields in Trust website. Voting is open until Wednesday 9 November 2016 at 5pm.

 

The park with the most votes in each of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be shortlisted and the winner announced at the Fields in Trust Awards on Wednesday 30th November. Last year, Telford Town Park in Shropshire was named UK's Best Park 2015. Let’s see if we can make it Barnhill Rock Garden this year.

Funding award for library

I have received a summary of the most recent Dundee Partnership Community Regeneration Fund awards; included is a sum of £1,210 to the Friends of Broughty Ferry Library to purchase additional IT equipment for use in the youth wing. This complements approximately £4,000 of work already carried out through funds raised by the group (see earlier post on refurbishment of the teenage section).

 

The staff at the library and the friends group do a wonderful job in making Broughty Ferry Library such a great place to visit and I was really pleased to learn that their application for funding had been successful.

Road report for week commencing 24 October 2016

Seafield Road (Church Street to Davidson Street) - closed for one week for gas main renewal.

Fort Street (King Street to Fisher Street) - closed for 7 days for carriageway resurfacing.

Forthcoming Major Roadworks

Whinny Brae (Monifieth Road to Rowanbank Gardens) - closed for road resurfacing works from Monday 31 October for 5 days.

The council’s full weekly road report can be viewed here.

Take Pride in Your City events in November

Your Bus Matters

Local community plan

Time is running out for you to have your say on the new local community plan for Broughty Ferry. Dundee Partnership is seeking the views of local people about ways in which the quality of life can be improved in the area. The community plan contains the things residents would like to see happen and the actions required to make those things happen.  

 

You can complete an on-line questionnaire, Engage Dundee, on the council’s internet site. It has 15 general themes, each with one straightforward question, and an opportunity to provide comments. It includes things like public transport, traffic and parking, facilities, work and the local economy.

 

The consultation ends on 31 October. If you have a moment to spare please make your views known, so that the final plan reflects the wishes of as many people as possible.

Road report for week commencing 17 October

Seafield Road (Church Street to Davidson Street) – closed for 2 weeks for gas main renewal.

 A92 at Panmurefield roundabout – overnight (8.00pm – 6.00am) eastbound alternate closures on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 October for surfacing works.

Brown Street  – closed at its junction with Brook Street from Tuesday 18 October for one week for building maintenance works.

Forthcoming Closures

Whinnybrae, Broughty Ferry (Monifieth Road to Rowanbank Gardens) – closed for road resurfacing works from Monday 31 October for 5 days.

The council’s full weekly road report can be viewed here.

Balmossie Fire Station

Police Scotland is currently carrying out a review of its estate and I was pleased to learn, that while closures are being considered elsewhere, the expectation is that there will continue to be a police station in Brook Street, although as now seems likely it will be relocated to the other side of the road to its former location.

 

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service recently consulted on its new strategic plan for 2016/19. I was concerned that the action plans which support the strategic plan might include a review of the Scottish Fire and Rescue estate and so I spoke to Liam Kerr MSP about it. Liam very kindly wrote to the chief officer seeking clarification with regard to future plans for our local fire station at Balmossie.

 

In his response to Liam, the chief officer wrote; “we remain committed to maintaining our frontline service and at present have no plans to reduce the number of stations in the north east or other parts of Scotland." Liam and I will keep a watching brief on this issue.

Getting things done-update

I was pleased to see that work is being carried out on the granolithic pavement in Westfield Road. The very poor section on the east pavement near to Brook Street is being resurfaced. I have pushed for this stretch of pavement to be attended to for a while as it was in a very poor state. I’m grateful to the roads maintenance partnership for programming the works so quickly after it agreed to carry out this localised repair.

Oor Lifesaver comes home

I joined the crowds on the pilot pier on Friday afternoon to watch Oor Lifesaver being brought home by the lifeboat and crew of ‘The Elizabeth of Glamis’. There was a big cheer when ‘Wullie’ was lifted onto the pier. Youngsters from the Brownies at the nearby St James’ Parish Church held up signs which said “Welcome Home Oor Lifesaver”.

 

The crowdfunding campaign raised £16,000, which was enough to buy the statue at the charity auction with the surplus split equally between the Archie Foundation and the RNLI. The local community got right behind the fundraising effort with many businesses and individuals contributing, including the pupils and staff at Grove Academy who donated more that £1000.

 

While he is back sitting in his now familiar spot on the pier he will be located in an  RNLI fundraising pop-up shop on Gray Street (opposite Eduardo Alessandros) from tomorrow.

Take Pride in Your City events- October

Broughty Ferry flood protection scheme update

The council has recently prepared a feedback summary report for the Broughty Ferry flood protection scheme. There is a dedicated webpage for the scheme on the council’s website, which will be updated with information as it becomes available. The feedback report is also available on the website.  A public exhibition and a presentation to the community council were undertaken in June to outline the aims of the project and the reasons behind the initial design. It’s estimated that more than 200 people attended over the two events.

 

The report states that that the project was generally well received, although a number of concerns were raised and the project engineers are now undertaking activities to develop the design further and address some of the feedback.  I was heartened to read in the report that the look and finish will be vital to the success of the project and also comments about delivering the project to a high quality standard and sympathetic to the unique setting of the area.  These things are essential to protect the character of Broughty Ferry’s waterfront. It is hoped to release further information quite soon that will provide an opportunity to collect further comments.

 

Once the scheme details are determined formal notice requires to be given of the council’s intention to promote a flood protection scheme. Following notification there is a minimum period of 28 days allowed for any person to make objections.

Whinny Brae road resurfacing

I have been advised that work to resurface Whinny Brae from Monifieth Road to Rowanbank Gardens will commence on Monday 31^st October. The road will be closed to traffic for 5 working days.  Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained and an alternative route for vehicles will be available via Monifieth Road, Rowanbank Gardens and reverse.

 

The carriageway in Whinny Brae is long overdue some attention. It was to be resurfaced last year but the work was put on hold pending the completion of the conversion of the former Eastern Primary School into flats.  I have reported some significant potholes at this location to the roads maintenance partnership in recent years so these resurfacing works are very welcome.

Broughty Ferry in Bloom

I was really pleased to learn that Broughty Ferry in Bloom was awarded silver gilt in the coastal town category at the 50th annual Beautiful Scotland Awards held in the Aberdeen Beach Ballroom last week. All entries in the awards are assessed against three core pillars of the Beautiful Scotland campaign - horticultural achievement; environmental responsibility and community participation. A silver gilt award means that a high standard has been achieved which meets the judging criteria and objectives of Beautiful Scotland, including sections of exceptionally high standards.

 

The Broughty Ferry in Bloom volunteers and the partner organisations they work with deserve great credit for the wonderful job they do in creating the colourful displays in the town.

 

The Friends of Barnhill Rock Garden and Queen Street Community Garden are entrants in the 2016 it’s Your Neighbourhood campaign. Keep Scotland Beautiful rewards participating groups through a series of certificates to acknowledge the good work being done.  These will be presented on 26 October.

Getting things done- Westfield Road

I always push for as many Broughty Ferry roads and pavements as possible to receive some surface treatment as a lot of them are in need of attention to various degrees. The roads maintenance partnership produces a programme every year of major surfacing schemes that are to be undertaken, but more localised repairs will be carried out where a need is identified. One such location is the granolithic pavement at the east side of Westfield Road, near to its junction with Brook Street. I have been asking for a while for this to be dealt with and a number of residents have spoken to me about it.

 

Thankfully my repeated request for action has paid off as I have recently been notified that funding has been secured to carry out repairs at this location. The works have still to be programmed but the fact that it is to be getting done is very welcome.

No change to The Ferry ward boundary

Great news! The Scottish Government hasn’t accepted the proposed electoral arrangements for Dundee and has left boundaries as they currently stand. It’s amazing what the people of Broughty Ferry have achieved in stopping West Ferry from being taken out of The Ferry electoral ward. As my Conservative colleague Liam Kerr MSP has said: ‘This is a result for people power and shows what can be achieved when people stand up collectively for their local area.”

 

I opposed the creation of a ward boundary at Victoria Road when it was put forward by the council’s SNP administration as its preferred option as I knew it was wrong. It's a pity other councillors didn't support me at that time, if they had, the last few months of uncertainty and concern might have been avoided. I was really dismayed when the Local Government Boundary Commission adopted the council's suggestion and then recommended it to government ministers.

 

Thankfully the council changed its mind when the strength of local opposition became clear and we then had SNP politicians objecting to their own proposal.

 

Many thanks to  the West Ferry Residents Action Group, Broughty Ferry Community Council and all of the residents and other organisations who wrote to the boundaries commission initially and then the ministers. If they hadn't played such an active part you can be sure that the proposed change would have happened.

Council committee meetings

Last night’s meeting of the Neighbourhood Services Committee agreed a grant for assistance towards administration costs of £3000 to BERA - the Broughty Ferry Adult Education and Recreation Association.

 

The committee also agreed revised measures for controlling the input of waste at Riverside and Baldovie household waste and recycling centres. 47% of waste taken to the  centres is recycled. In 2015 there were 276,953 visits to both sites and in the reporting year 2015/16  9,040 tonnes of waste was input at the Baldovie site.

 

Commercial waste should be taken to the Baldovie transfer station in Forties Road where a charge is levied for the disposal via a weighbridge. Van access is allowed at both sites and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between those who are genuine householders entitled to use the centres and traders, who are not. One of the changes being introduced is that residents, who use a non commercial van, pick up, minibus or vehicle with a single axle trailer to dispose of waste will have to obtain a free permit   prior to visiting any household waste recycling centre. There will be a limit on the number of visits allowed by the permit.

 

A number of actions need to be carried out in advance of the changes being made. All the details will appear on the relevant pages of the council’s website in due course.

Electric vehicle charging hub

The Council earlier this year received a grant of £1.86m from the Office of Low Emission Vehicles to provide more charging points for electric vehicles across Dundee. The funding will be used to create charging points at eight locations including three charging hubs at Princess Street, St Anne Lane car park and Queen Street car park in Broughty Ferry.

 

The City Development Department is in the process of finalising the plans for each site but the current proposal for Queen Street car park is to utilise the slightly separate area at the west end of the site for electric vehicle charging. An additional 2 rapid chargers will be installed, which will charge vehicles in approximately 20-30 minutes, and four fast chargers, which will charge a vehicle in approximately 1-4 hours (depending on make and model). The existing rapid charger in the car park will be moved to be in the same area.

 

I understand the current chargers at Queen Street car park are being well utilised and it is hoped that the additional charging infrastructure will facilitate more residents, visitors and businesses in the area to switch to electric vehicles.

 

Dundee leads the way in its use and encouragement of low and zero emission vehicles. Dundee City Council currently operates 66 pure electric vehicles from six different manufacturers meaning around 25% of the council’s car and small van fleet is electric. In addition it also uses two hybrid vehicles.The council owns 58 charging points at eight publicly available charging locations, including Scotland’s first rapid charger. In 2016/17 the council estimates that this will reduce carbon dioxide by 122 tonnes each year.

Road report week commencing 5 September

The following Broughty Ferry streets feature in the council’s road report for week commencing Monday 5 September 2016. It’s good to see that Forthill Road will be reopening early next week:

 

Forthill Road (Nursery Road to Queen Street)- closed until Monday 5 for gas main renewal.

 

Seafield Road, Broughty Ferry (Church Street to Davidson Street) - closed from Monday 5 September for 8 weeks for gas main renewal.

 

Dalhousie Road- off-peak temporary traffic lights for one week for water main repair.

 

Lawers Drive- traffic control for 4 weeks for street lighting works.

 

Forthcoming Major Roadworks

 

Drumsturdy Road (Kellas Road to Lammerton Bridge) - closed from Monday 19 September for 10 days for carriageway resurfacing works.

Oor Lifesaver

The Oor Wullie bucket trail has been a huge success for Dundee. I tried to get round all of the statues myself but sadly I fell short by three. Hopefully I will be able to get a picture of them when they all appear in Slessor Gardens between 9 and 11 September for their farewell gathering.

 

The Oor Wullies in Broughty Ferry have brought a lot of visitors to the town.  The ‘Oor Lifesaver’ Wullie located on the old pilot pier is sponsored by Broughty Ferry Traders Association and is designed as an R.N.L.I lifeboat man. All the statues are to be auctioned off on 13 September to raise funds for the Archie Foundation and I’m really pleased that a local campaign is in place to bid for Oor Lifesaver.

 

Ewan Philp of Broughty Ferry Traders Association and an RNLI volunteer has set up a Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lifeboatmanwullie to raise funds for the bid. I understand there is interest in Oor lifesaver from another coastal community, but hopefully sufficient money can be raised to ensure that it remains in Broughty Ferry where it belongs, especially as etched into the bucket is ‘R.I.P MONA’, which is in tribute to the crew of the Broughty Ferry lifeboat R.N.L.B Mona who lost their lives at sea on the 8th December 1959.

 

Money raised by the auction of all the statues will go towards The Archie Foundation’s Tayside Appeal for a new twin-operating theatre paediatric surgical suite for Tayside Children’s Hospital. Any surplus money raised over the auction bid for Oor Lifesaver will be split evenly between The Archie Foundation, and the R.N.L.I.

Road report

The road report for week commencing Monday 29 August 2016 incudes the following Broughty Ferry streets:

 

Forthill Road (Nursery Road to Queen Street) - closed for one week for gas main renewal.

 

A92 Arbroath Road (Panmurefield Roundabout to Balgillo Roundabout) - overnight (8.00pm-6.00am) westbound alternate nearside and offside lane closure for Tuesday 30 August for 4 nights for carriageway repairs.

 

Forthcoming major roadworks

 

Seafield Road, Broughty Ferry (Church Street to Davidson Street) - closed from Monday 5 September for 8 weeks for gas main renewal.

 

Drumsturdy Road (Kellas Road to Lammerton Bridge) - closed from Monday 19 September for 10 days for carriageway resurfacing works.

 

The full road report an be viewed at  Dundee City - Weekly Road Report | Dundee City Council

Take Pride in Your City- September events

Site investigations- Broughty Ferry flood scheme

Work is due to start on Monday, 29 August, on exploratory site investigations for the Broughty Ferry flood protection scheme. It will include trial pits and boreholes to determine existing ground and environment conditions and the construction makeup of the road and sea wall. The results arsing from the investigations will inform the structural design of the final flood prevention scheme.

The works will be undertaken between the hours of 8am and 5pm at localised areas between Douglas Terrace and Beach Crescent. It is anticipated the work will last for two weeks. There will be short sections of traffic management during this time.

 

Letters have been issued to all the frontagers and I have been advised that the contractor will contact those immediately adjacent to the works to explain the investigation work being carried out.

Getting things done- Lawrence Street update

I previously asked the roads maintenance partnership if it could do something to improve the footway at the west side of the Lawrence Street/ Brook Street junction after it was brought to my attention that the characteristics of the pavement at this location were causing some difficulties to wheel chair users.

 

It was agreed that improvements were required and work has recently been undertaken to relocate the illuminated signs at the junction away from the pedestrian desire line.  Localised footway resurfacing works on the corner of the junction are programmed to be delivered by the end of September to complete the improvement work.

Missing link

I have been contacted in recent weeks by residents of Clearwater Park regarding the grass verges in Linlathen Road, which are maintained by the council.

 

There are no properly surfaced areas there for people to cross between Clearwater Park and Ferryfields, which results in them having to walk through the nearly always wet grass. The grass has to be kept to a certain height for the swales that are in operation there.

 

 I have been in touch with both the council’s environment department regarding management of the swales and its roads network team to see if anything can be done to provide a suitable hard standing crossing point. The council agreed that there appears to have been an omission from the original masterplan in terms of connectivity between the housing areas and the head of roads and transportation is to be arranging for one of his engineers to look at a simple solution to bridge the gap.

 

The funding for cycling, walking and safer streets projects is fully committed for this year so it is likely to be the next financial before anything is in place. I will push for early implementation of any solution and ask that local residents have input into where the crossing point should be located.

Getting things done- update

Dawson Park benches and Ceres Crescent potholes

 

I’m pleased to report that a couple of issues I highlighted as requiring attention have been actioned. The new benches in Dawson Park on the path between the Strathern Road and Fairfield Road entrances have been installed. The previous ones were in a pretty poor state and I asked last year for them to be replaced. Provision was made in the 2016/17 environment department budget for this to happen.

 

The numerous potholes in Ceres Crescent have now been filled. Residents spoke to me about the poor condition of the carriageway; it was definitely one of the worst in the area. I asked the roads maintenance partnership if it could arrange for repairs to be carried out and it has recently been attended to.

Brown Street and Fort Street

Brown Street is to be closed between King Street and Long Lane for three days from Tuesday for carriageway works. It is remedial work to rectify ponding issues which resulted after the recent resurfacing.

 

I was also pleased to learn that the resurfacing works on Fort Street, between King Street and Fisher Street, are due to  commence on 17^th October. This is something I have been waiting to be actioned for quite a while having made a number of requests for pothole repairs there over the last couple of years. On learning of the commencement date I asked whether it would be possible to repair the granolithic concrete pavements at the junction with King Street at the same time as one side in particular is in a very poor state.  The council has agreed to carry out a repair, although it may not happen at the same time as the carriageway works as the application of the granolithic concrete is weather dependent.

Drop in advice surgery with MSP

Liam Kerr MSP will once again be joining me at my drop in advice surgery at Broughty Ferry Library tomorrow (Saturday 13 August) between 10:00 and 11:00. No appointment is necessary. Please call in to see us if you would like to discuss any issue that is causing you concern, or just to say hello. We will be pleased to see you.

Getting things done- Barnhill fence

I attend the meetings of the North Barnhill Tenants and Residents Association and one of the issues that is often raised is the condition of the fence in Aberdour Place. It was unclear from previous enquiries made about it as to who was responsible for its maintenance. I have been pursuing this on behalf of the association and in response to the most recent enquiry I made it has been confirmed that council is responsible and as such it has been agreed that the fence will be repaired as part of an environmental improvement programme later in the year.

 

The grass verge which runs between the roadside and the chain link fence is also the responsibility of the council and it is maintained by the council through the environment service.