Getting things done – River Crescent and Hillside Terrace #dundeewestend

There has recently been significant levels of flooding on the roadway at the south end of River Crescent that residents brought to my attention.

 

I took this up with the council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership Manager who helpfully updated me as follows :

 

“I can confirm we’ll arrange for gully cleaning of this street. 

 

“We are aware of wider problems in this area and the flooding team are working on a surface water management plan in conjunction with Scottish Water. 

 

Our next challenge will be securing funding to implement the improvements identified from the study.”

 

Separately, there were also road flooding concerns recently at the west end of Hillside Terrace and I am grateful to the Roads Maintenance Partnership for its prompt attention to this.

Getting things done – Hillside Terrace #dundeewestend

Following a complaint from residents about the extent of weeds growth at the road edges in Hillside Terrace (see below), I have asked the council’s Neighbourhood Services to attend to these :

I have also asked for an update on the road weeds treatment programme this summer across the West End.

Hillside Terrace and Hillside Place – roads resurfacing

Earlier this year, following my contacting the City Council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership, I was advised that Hillside Terrace was recommended for inclusion in the 2015 carriageway resurfacing programme.

 

The much-needed resurfacing has recently taken place and feedback from residents about the work is very positive.     However, residents (and I!) are confused as to why Hillside Place was not resurfaced at the same time as it is essentially a small cul de sac entirely within the curtilage of Hillside Terrace.   The road condition is in the same poor state as Hillside Terrace previously was – see right :

 

The Roads Maintenance Partnership has advised me :

 

“I can confirm Hillside Place was swept while the road sweeper was in the area undertaking surface cleansing in advance of the works at Hillside Terrace.

 

The surfacing condition of Hillside Place is currently outwith priority programming criteria (i.e. there are worse condition roads within Dundee requiring expenditure priority). Hillside Place is currently assessed as priority 451. Our planned maintenance programme currently doesn’t include this road however at our current expenditure levels that would equate to planned maintenance in approximately 2023. The conditions of all roads in the authority area are assessed on an annual basis and this priority ranking may change dependant on condition deterioration of both this road and others within the city.

 

In the interim, prior to planned surfacing improvement works being committed, we will continue to undertake defect inspections on the road and will implement reactive repairs to priority safety related defects identified.”

 

I have responded as follows :

 

“I note this but given the very short length of Hillside Place – its essentially a cul de sac of Hillside Terrace – it seems rather surprising that it wasn’t included as part of the Hillside Terrace works – particularly as the roadway in each was of similar condition.    I question the cost-effectiveness of doing Hillside Place as a separate scheme at a future date – it seems to me sensible to include tiny roads like this as part of works for the adjacent main road.”

 

I will continue to pursue this matter on behalf of local residents.

Hillside Terrace – road condition

On behalf of residents, I recently raised the deteriorating condition of Hillside Terrace’s roadway with the City Council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership and asked if there could be some immediate patching of the worst-conditioned parts but also if the council could consider full resurfacing of the roadway this financial year.

 

I am pleased to say I have had the following positive response from the Roads Maintenance Partnership :

 

“This street is classified as having a maintenance hierarchy 4b carriageway which means it receives a formal safety inspection every 32 weeks, it was inspected in mid January and no actionable potholes were identified.  However, a small area of patching was identified for inclusion in a future patching programme.  I have arranged for this street to be inspected today and one number actionable pothole was identified which will be repaired as a Cat 3 within a target of 28 days.

Hillside Terrace is recommended for inclusion in the 2015 carriageway resurfacing programme which has been prepared and issued for review and comment to Senior Management.”

Getting things done – West End road and pavement improvements

Earlier today, I had site visits with an officer from the City Council’s Roads Maintenance Partnership to both Perth Road and Lime Street, following residents’ concerns about the poor state of the pavement.

With regard to Perth Road, the concern is the pavement on the north side between Pennycook Lane and the Sinderins junction, where we discussed the footpath’s condition with a local resident who had unfortunately had a bad fall on the pavement some time ago.

 

The major problem with this stretch of footpath is that it is both heavily used, being in the Perth Road shopping area, but it has also been subject to repeated utility company repairs given the amount of servicing and cabling beneath.     

 

Localised repairs were agreed to today by the Roads Maintenance Partnership representative but I have now written to the City Engineer seeking his consideration of full resurfacing in a future programme.

With regard to Lime Street (see above) the east pavement is very worn, causing many puddles and the pavement is immediately adjacent to the local sheltered housing lounge and therefore well-used by elderly residents.

 

I have now been advised :

 

“Further to our meeting this morning I agree that the surfacing on this footway is heavily oxidised and worn and would benefit from resurfacing.  

This footway was condition scored as a 5 out of 6 in 2013 but I feel that it has further deteriorated since then and I will be recommending it is considered for inclusion in the updated 3 year programme that is to be issued in April 2015.”

 

This is a very good result as the pavement is really in need of resurfacing.

 

During our site visits today, I again mentioned (at residents’ requests) the poor road surface in Hillside Terrace.   It has had pothole repairs over the summer following my request, but the road is in need of resurfacing.    I have now been advised the good news that :

 

“Further to our meeting this morning I can confirm that the carriageway in Hillside Terrace is currently proposed for a thin surfacing treatment in year 2 of the current 3 year programme, ie 2015/16.”

Getting things done – Hillside Terrace

Residents have complained to me about the poor state of the road surface in Hillside Terrace – the photo below was taken by a constituent:

I took up these complaints with the City Council’s Roads maintenance Partnership who have now advised:

 

“An order has been raised by the Road Maintenance Partnership inspector to repair the potholes in Hillside Terrace. Timescale for completion is twenty eight days.”

Getting things done … Hillside Terrace

Having had a number of residents’ complaints about the road condition in Hillside Terrace, I met yesterday with the roads inspector for the area and a local resident on-site.

 

It was agreed that a number of repairs (including at the road damage – see right) could be carried out using the “Rapid Rhino” permanent repair method, which is a most helpful proposal.

Getting things done … Hillside Terrace

I have had complaints from residents about the poor condition of parts of the roadway in Hillside Terrace – see right.

 

I contacted the City Engineer about the matter, who has advised:

 

“I have asked the Roads Maintenance Partnership to inspect this area and carry out any necessary repairs as appropriate.

 

We are currently in the process of considering the road maintenance schemes to be carried out in 2013/14 and Hillside Terrace will be considered alongside all other roads within Dundee. 

 

Once the review has been completed I will be able to advise you on the position with Hillside Terrace.”

Hillside area – good news on pavements!

Having campaigned for a long time to see the unadopted and poor-conditioned pavements brought up to a good standard, I am delighted that the area of Hillside Road, Hillside Terrace, Hillside Place and Hillside Drive is now having its pavements upgraded and adopted by Dundee City Council.   

 

Back in 2007, I proposed – and the City Council agreed – to increase annual capital funding on the unadopted footways programme by two and a half fold to £500 000.   This increased funding is having a real and positive impact in getting unadopted pavements upgraded and improved across the West End and in other parts of the city.

 

Here’s a photo of the footways improvement work commencing in Hillside Road in the past few days:

Jubilee celebrations in the West End!

The Jubilee is being celebrated in style in the West End!   Today, I had the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the superb Jubilee street party organised by the folk in Hillside Terrace, Road, Place and Drive.    It seemed that everyone from the four streets was there – all generations – and the committee put in huge effort to organise a wonderful community event – some pictures below:

Later this afternoon, I also had the privilege of joining the residents of Glamis Terrace and the surrounding area at their Jubilee Garden Party – another really enjoyable community event – a couple more photos:

Before the crowds arrived!

Glamis Terrace Jubilee Party in full swing!

With more West End Jubilee events on Tuesday and next weekend planned, the West End is enjoying celebrating the Diamond Jubilee and showing the great community spirit across our area.

Stopping Up Order at Hillside Terrace – Public Inquiry – decision announced

The decision in respect of the Stopping Up Order at Hillside Terrace, Dundee has now been issued by the Scottish Ministers. The decision is as follows:

 

The Scottish Ministers agree with the Reporter’s findings and conclusions and adopt them for the purposes of their own decision, and accept the Reporter’s recommendation that the Order should be confirmed with a modification.

 

Accordingly the Scottish Ministers confirm the Dundee City Council (Hillside Terrace, Dundee) (Stopping Up) Order 2009, subject to the addition of a second Schedule to the Order containing the condition that:

“1. Before Hillside Terrace is permanently closed lowered pavement crossings shall have been installed at each intersection of the adopted footways in Glamis Drive and in Almond Place.”

Saturday update

A  very busy Saturday and I start with a thank you to the City Council’s Chief Executive David Dorward who took the trouble to call me on a Saturday to discuss winter maintenance concerns in the West End that I had raised with him.   

And thanks also to the residents in Hillside Terrace who knocked on other residents’ doors to get cars off the street to allow the snow plough in – and to the Roads Maintenance Partnership Manager at Tayside Contracts who, at my request, ensured there was a plough available thereafter.  That is just one example of attempts to get untreated streets ploughed or gritted and there has been good progress in other streets too.

But there is a lot still to do across the West End – both with winter maintenance and the delayed refuse collection – and I have raised further concerns in other streets with Waste Management and with the City Engineer again today.

Following my speaking with the Evening Telegraph, the paper last night covered the continuing concern about graffiti vandalism at the Hindu Community Centre in Taylor’s Lane.     The article highlighted the graffiti vandalism that happened last weekend and the photo used was taken on a resident’s phone – he had kindly forwarded me the photo.    Naina at the Hindu Community Centre was quoted expressing her understandable concern about the on-going vandalism.

Last night, the centre was vandalised again – see above.   I have already been in touch with the Police about this.   The vandalism was quite widespread in the immediate area and including black paint (with familiar tags) splattered across a transit van in Madgalen Yard Road.     I have spoken today with the resident who owns the van – he had bought it only yesterday – and he is understandably very upset at the utterly mindless vandalism of his property.  

I have requested a discussion with our local police inspector about this situation – I can only praise the police response – they have been very proactive on the graffiti vandalism issue, but this continued vandalism is now a very real concern.    A local resident and I are also requesting a meeting with the Procurator Fiscal about how graffiti vandalism is handled within the fiscal’s service.

Hillside Terrace – proposed stopping up order – Public Inquiry

The public inquiry relative to the proposed stopping up order at the west end of Hillside Terrace (next to Wimberley Houses) started at the Invercarse Hotel this morning. I attended the first part of the inquiry this morning.

Details of the case can be read on the Scottish Government Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals website by following this link – http://tinyurl.com/hillsidestoppingup – where the Reporter’s decision will appear in due course.

Tonight’s City Council Development Quality Committee

At tonight’s Development Quality Committee, I moved refusal of a recommendation to agree to variation of the period for the erection of a wall to be erected at the west end of Hillside Terrace on the following grounds :

“The permanent closure of the west end of Hillside Terrace, in accordance with a confirmed Stopping Up Order, formed a key element in the approval of the development of the site for dwelling houses. The proposed variation would result in an extended delay in the provision of a wall in this location to the detriment of the environmental qualities of the local residents.”

Despite this being the view of six objectors in Hillside Terrace, I unfortunately lost the vote 14-9. Somewhat unfortunate, given that it pre-empts a public inquiry.

Dundee City Council (Hillside Terrace, Dundee) (Stopping-Up) Order 2009

The City Council has now published the above Order, Plan, Notice and Statement of Reasons relating to the above. 

 

You can read the detail at http://tinyurl.com/hillsideterrace.

 

Given the controversy over the two planning applications at the former Wimberley Student Flats (I moved refusal of both applications;  the first time successfully, the second time unsuccessfully), local residents will have great interest in this proposed Stopping Up Order.  

 

As the download makes clear, there are 28 days in which representations can be made.

West End pavements

I am pleased to note that, following my request that the pavements in Menzieshill Road, Whitefauld Road and Hillside Terrace are included on the Unadopted Footways List for future adoption, I have been advised that they will be added at the next review.