New Nursery/Primary Schools progress – latest newsletter

As I recently indicated following a site visit, good progress is being made on the new building for St Joseph’s Primary School, Park Place Nursery School and Park Place Primary School – due to open in October. The contractor has now issued another newsletter – his sixth – to residents who live in the immediate [...]

Inside the new West End schools

As I indicated last week, I had the pleasure of attending a site visit around the new West End schools building project at Blackness Road/Glenagnes Road, that will become the new home of St Joseph’s Primary School and Park Place Nursery and Primary Schools from this autumn. I did not post photos of the internal of [...]

Schools visits

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of taking part in a site visit to the new West End schools building project – on the site of the former Logie Secondary site at Blackness Road/Glenagnes Road – that will provide the new centres for St Joseph’s Primary School, Park Place Nursery School and Park Place Primary School [...]

New West End schools progress

Anyone passing the new St Joseph’s Primary, Park Place Nursery and Park Place Primary schools site in Blackness Road/Glenagnes Road cannot fail to notice the significant progress with the building project. The one issue raised by constituents has been the extent of mud at the site entrance at the top of Glenagnes Road – tackled [...]

Tuesday activities

Yesterday : * I attended the latest meeting of the West End Schools’ Project Board, the group overseeing the construction of the new facilities for Park Place Primary School, St Joseph’s Primary School and Park Place Nursery School, currently being built on the former Logie Secondary School site.    It was good to hear of [...]

West End schools’ progress

Back in September, I updated residents about the construction of the new St Joseph’s Primary, Park Place Nursery and Park Place Primary Schools on the former Logie school site and gave links to the first two newsletters issued by the contractor, Robertson Construction, to adjacent householders in the Blackness Road, Abbotsford Street, Glenagnes Road/Logie, Rosefield Street [...]

West End schools building project – an update

As residents are aware, the construction of the new St Joseph’s Primary, Park Place Nursery and Park Place Primary Schools is now well-advanced and the building beginning to take shape.    I have raised with the Education Department a constituent concern about construction noise in the early mornings. The contractor, Robertson Construction, has now issued [...]

Tuesday update

Today, I took part in the Jericho House Support Group latest meeting, at which we discussed and planned events for this very worthwhile project, including a dance during November and also a play Jericho House is planning on the subject of recovery from alcoholism.  It is hoped the play will run during West End Christmas Week. [...]

West End nursery and primary schools project

Following the commencement of site works on the former Logie Secondary site – to build the new St Joseph’s Primary School, Park Place Nursery School and Park Place Primary School – I have had several residents contact me about the building project. Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at [...]

Monday

This morning, along with one of my ward councillor colleagues, I attended a walkabout around the Pentland area with officers from various council departments to look at issues that require action in the area.     A number of issues were noted – eg damaged fencing, bin collections and recycling. Another issue raised was the [...]

Tuesday updates …

Today, I had an extremely useful meeting with Terry Small of the Dundee Museum of Transport.    Although the museum has long-term ambitions to open at the former Maryfield Transport Depot, it has secured shorter term use of a long vacant building in Roseangle to allow the museum to open. This is an excellent project and [...]

West End Primary/Nursery Schools’ Planning Application

At tonight’s Dundee City Council Development Management Committee, the planning application for the replacement St Joseph’s Primary, Park Place Primary and Park Place Nursery schools was approved. I asked questions about the traffic assessment and proposed travel plan. You can read the committee papers on this matter at http://tinyurl.com/dm200910.

Safety outside local schools

I have raised parents’ and residents’ concerns about inappropriate parking at West End schools on various occasions in the past. Following implementation of the safer parking arrangements at St Joseph’s Primary School last term (see above), this afternoon I met with the Head of Primary Education, the Head Teacher and our local community police officer, [...]

West End Schools – Planning Pre-Application Exhibition

This afternoon, I called in on the planning pre-application exhibition at Blackness Library – relative to the proposed replacement St Joseph’s Primary and Park Place Nursery and Primary Schools. Given the Councillor Code of Conduct relative to planning applications, councillors can attend but cannot give an opinion or view on the planning proposals in advance [...]

Thursday …

Good to see the coverage in today’s Scotsman of the meeting we held earlier this week to progress a memorial to the victims of the 1879 Tay Rail Bridge Disaster. This follows on from yesterday’s coverage in the Courier, and includes quotes from Stuart Morris of Balgonie and myself. You can read the article from [...]

West End primary and nursery schools’ project

Having received queries from constituents about the change to the capital cost of the St Joseph’s Primary and Park Place Nursery and Primary schools projects, the City Council’s Director of Finance has responded to my enquiries as follows :   “The original costs were a very first estimate. The revised costs are based on detailed [...]

West End Local Community Planning Partnership meeting

I’ve been in Glasgow for the past couple of days with the ‘day job’ but back in Dundee tonight. No surgery at Blackness Primary School as the school was closed today (an in-service day) but tonight saw the West End local community planning partnership meeting take place at the Tartan Coffee House in Perth Road. [...]

And … Wednesday …

A busy day – including : * The first ever Board meeting for the West End Primary/Nursery Schools project – St Joseph’s Primary, Park Place Primary and Park Place Nursery Schools – took place. It is envisaged that a pre-planning application process, including an exhibition for parents, carers and the local community generally, will take [...]

Adam wins balloon launch competition!

The photos below are from the photocall I attended today at which a P1 pupil from Park Place Primary School received his voucher for a children’s party for up to 20 of his friends, following his win in the balloon launch competition that marked the start of West End Christmas Week last month. Every Primary [...]

Update – West End Schools

Further to my article yesterday about the Scottish Government’s to allow the City Council deregulation from the Schools Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967 (as amended), that will allow the St Joseph’s Primary, and Park Place Primary and Nursery Schools Project to go ahead on the former Logie Secondary site in Dundee, I [...]

Primary School Pupil Safety

I am pleased to have been advised by the City Council that, following my raising the condition of the Wilkie’s Lane car park at St Joseph’s Primary School with the Education Department, it was agreed to remove potholes and smooth the surface.    There were concerns that the poor car park surface was discouraging use of [...]

Busy Friday …

A busy day with meetings with several fellow councillors on various issues including the revenue and capital budgets for 2009/10. This followed on from an administration group of Labour and LibDem councillors last night.       The City Council Leader has now called has called for a meeting of all the political group leaders [...]

New schools – good news for the West End

After a prolonged planning period, the City Council Administration was today able to announce further new schools projects – including new schools for Park Place and St Joseph’s Primaries in the West End. I have given my views in tonight’s “Evening Telegraph” – here is the news release I issued :   NEWS RELEASE : [...]

Hawkhill crossing concern

A few years ago, not long after I was first elected to the City Council, along with parents and pupils of Park Place Primary School, I campaigned for a light-controlled crossing across Old Hawkhill, to assist pupils and other pedestrians. The campaign was successful and a crossing was provided at the Temple Lane junction.   [...]

Parking – Park Place Nursery and Primary Schools

With the new school year about to commence this coming week and following concerns raised with me by parents, I met with the Head of Primary Education of Dundee City Council on Friday past regarding parking and dropping off arrangements at Park Place Primary School and the adjacent Nursery School.   Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of [...]

West End Under 10s football team … and River Crescent Residents’ Association …

At lunchtime, the new West End Under 10s boys’ football team played its first “official match” and the photo (right) is of the team at Riverside Playing Fields today with Paul Johnston (Team Manager), Stuart Ferguson of Barnetts Motor Group and myself.It is great to see an under 10s football team established in the West [...]

Under 10s Football Team Launch

Currently the West End area does not have a youth football team for Under 10 boys. Thanks to the offer to establish and run one by a member of West End Community Council – Paul Johnston – and the kind assistance of the City Council’s Leisure and Communities Department and the University of Dundee’s Institute [...]