Braeview Academy transformed

Braeview Academy's recent HMIE report has been greatly cheering news and of great credit to Brenda Hadcroft, the Head Teacher, all other staff and the pupils, parents and wider school community.

Obviously, Braeview is not in my ward area, so why this comment? Back in 2003/4 when I was the Convener of the Education Committee, I paid several visits to Braeview around the time of the previous - and critical HMIE report - and I was impressed - thoroughly impressed - by the determination of all at the school (including the then acting Head Teacher David May, a long standing friend and colleague and now LibDem councillor on Angus Council) to move the school positively forward.

In March 2004, I was quoted in the local press as follows:

Council education convener Councillor Fraser Macpherson added, “We are now looking to the school pushing ahead.

“I have been impressed by the spirit and determination shown by all the teachers, managers and pupils to turn this situation around. Already real improvements have been made.

“There is still a lot of hard work to be done and I am sure everyone concerned will be working together to ensure the inspectors will see a real difference at Braeview on their return.”

Well, they did. Congratulations Braeview!

And ... Tuesday!

I chaired the TACTRAN Board today (regional transport partnership - includes Stirling, Perth & Kinross and Angus Councils as well as us in Dundee) - included very informative presentations on Park and Ride, Demand Responsive Transport, Walking and Cycling and other strategies in the regional area.

This afternoon, a useful and productive meeting with one of the local Head Teachers on the West End youth football team initiative, and tonight a meeting with Blackness Area Residents' Association.

Lastly, a positive response from Dundee City Council following complaints raised by both myself and the Friends of Magdalen Green about inadequate litter bin provision on Magdalen Green.

I'm pleased with the prompt response by the City Council’s Leisure & Communities Department to recent complaints about litter on the Green and, in particular overflowing litter bins and a toilet roll wrapped round the bandstand. I was a bit surprised by the comment of a Council spokeswoman who told the Courier “the bin supply is adequate.”

Although the department empties bins very regularly, it is patently obvious that the existing provision of bins is inadequate. Bins were overflowing yesterday.

I am therefore pleased to have received confirmation today that the department is to “consider an extra few bins strategically placed to accept the overflow” something which I think will be welcomed.

Logie Avenue - south carriageway

Just received from the City Council - pleased to see this carriageway being improved :

Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating carriageway resurfacing works. The Order is expected to be in force for two weeks from 19 May 2008. Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic on the south carriageway of Logie Avenue from Glenagnes Road to Sycamore Place.

Pedestrian thoroughfare and vehicular access to premises will be maintained.

An alternative route will be available via Logie Avenue (north carriageway).

Please forward any comments you may have regarding this proposal to the Network Management Team, Planning and Transportation Department, Tayside House, Crichton Street, Dundee, no later than five working days prior to the commencement date.

If you have any queries please contact the City Council on 433168.

Monday

The Courier today carried the concerns of residents at Sinderins Court about the recurring problems with the lift in the sheltered housing complex, including my comment that I had immediately contacted the landlord (Home Scotland) about this.

I am pleased to say that the lift was back on as of this afternoon, but the substantive issue (ie permanent and lasting repair) remains to be achieved. I quote the area manager for Home Scotland :

"I have been able to get a full update from our Maintenance Team in response to your query.

We have being trying to resolve the problem of the lift for some weeks now with the engineers being out on approximately 17 occasions, the difficulty being that the fault is intermittent. Our Maintenance Team are in daily contact with the lift engineers who have had their top technicians on site on a regular basis in an effort to rectify the lift problem. The technicians were on site for one and a half days last week and on Thursday ran the lift for such a long period that it began to overheat - all without failure. Regrettably the lift broke down again on Thursday night. A new part was fitted on Friday which was hoped would resolve the problem but unfortunately the lift failed again around lunchtime on Saturday. Engineers attended but were not able to resolve the problem and it had to be left off lest it fail again.

The lift consultant is to meet in Dundee on Friday with the head engineer of Thyssen Drupp to try to bring forward a speedy resolution.

I can assure you that the situation is being closely monitored and the breakdowns are not being treated lightly. We obviously regret the inconvenience and hardship this is causing our tenants, while every effort is being made to rectify the problem as early as possible."

On another matter, I have asked the City Council to promptly tackle complaints about rubbish overflowing the waste bins on Magdalen Green (see right). The Chair of Friends of Magdalen Green and I discussed the matter today & we agreed that there is a need for larger (and more) bins. And that's exactly what I have asked of Dundee City Council.

Never knew love like this before - Stephanie Mills ( Remix)

Totally irrelevant to everything else on this blog, but driving back from visiting constituents in Taylor's Lane today, this came on the radio.

Reminds me of being about 14!

Brilliant!

A government built on sand

Easily the most cringe-worthy event of last week was the utterly disastrous appearance of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie on Newsnight Scotland on Wednesday night, in which she fell at the first hurdle in trying to defend the SNP government's Scottish Futures Non-Trust, the smoke and mirrors the SNP claims will replace PPP capital funding and provide Scotland with hundreds of new schools in the next few years.

Christina's frankly hilarious "performance" is neatly summed up by Atticus in the Sunday Times today:

"Car crash of the week was the toe-curling appearance by nationalist MSP Christina McKelvie on Newsnight Scotland on Wednesday.

"Never has a big, gallus lassie from Glasgow looked so hopelessly out of her depth as she blustered and flustered and parroted the same gibberish to every question that was put to her.

"Despite appearing to read from a crib sheet as she debated the SNP's Scottish Futures Trust, she nevertheless managed to claim PFI/PPP cost Scotland £500 billion a year. As this is 17 times the entire Scottish budget, and 1000 times the true figure, Atticus suspects she may have gone slightly awry."

The substantive point is not that an unknown SNP MSP looked hopeless on Newsnight. It is that, despite populist moves in its first year, the SNP government is built on sand, and nowhere is this most apparent than over capital projects funding.

The SNP consultation paper on the so-called Scottish Futures Trust was (to put it politely) "thin" on content. A few quotes :

Iain McMillan in The Scotsman, ‘New quango to run public-private projects’ : 21 December 2007:

"We welcome the apparent change of heart in funding model from the SNP, and the acceptance that the private sector will remain involved in developing infrastructure and providing services throughout the whole lifetime of projects.

"However, it remains to be seen whether the proposed non-profit distributing model, and creation of a new quango, will actually add value, let alone provide real incentives for delivering higher-quality services and better value for money."

STUC response to SFT consultation document:

"STUC is disappointed with the consultation document which lacks detail in a number of areas.

"It is not prudent to pursue the SFT as currently proposed.

"STUC is not convinced of the arguments for that a ‘super-sized’ private ‘not for profit’ company would be able to maintain a genuine public interest ethos.

"STUC does not see the centralisation of expertise in an SFT as an irrefutably good thing."

Douglas Fraser, The Herald: "The SNP's big picture remains a bit of a sketch' : 22 April 2008

"At its conference this weekend, the SNP was delighted to highlight one Labour-run council, East Renfrewshire, offering to pilot the plan, but neglected to say that Eastwood's financiers seem to think they can do better than St Andrew's House.

"The Institute of Public Finance Accountants could merely point out "significant gaps" and that "further, fundamental questions remain to be asked or addressed".

"Audit Scotland, the public sector watchdog, observed the SFT "faces competing challenges and constraints and these create a number of risks". The plan is "at a very early stage and there is much further work to be done", including the question of public accountability.

"Other parts of public Scotland are holding off new projects while uncertainty reigns over the administration's funding plans.

"So if there is one challenge for the SNP in its second year, it is to start getting the big items right. It does the politics well, but government is tougher than it looked from the outside, and the big picture requires attention to detail."

Hamish McDonnell, The Scotman, ‘Halfway plans for alternative to PFI satisfy no-one’ : 22 April 2008:

"Ministers could not have shown more embarrassment over a set of proposals if they tried.

"The problem for the Scottish Government in this case is that it has made such a blatant attempt at hiding these plans that it has actually started to generate interest in them.

"What the results of the consultation did show was how the SNP fudge has enraged almost everyone. But, more importantly, it has led to claims of delays in the school and hospital building programme started by the last Scottish Executive.

"Ministers are slowly starting to find out the difference between the superficial and the easy - the populist issues - and the deeper, detailed and complicated policies which make a long term difference - the weighty issues.

"Mr Salmond has done very well with style. He is having a little more trouble with substance. Some time soon, he will need to show he can master both."

Wider blog ...!

You'll have noticed the blog is now a bit wider, with an extra column.

It took a bit of playing about with the blog template, but we appear to have got there in the end!

Surgeries - and litter!

A useful time at lunchtime yesterday with a joint surgery with Alison McInnes MSP at Dundee University Students' Association - good in particular to speak with two of the DUSA office bearers about issues affecting the student community and, in particular, how the City Council can assist.

This morning participated in a West End Community Council organised litter pick in the West End - mainly covering Perth Road, Hawkhill and the lanes in between. As you can see from the photos below, it was extremely productive!

Local activities

If you click on the headline above, you can read the latest community learning newsletter from the City Council - the final page lists events in the West End.

And ... talking of events ... today sees a Family Fun Day at the Botanic Garden - details below:

FAMILY FUN DAY

Saturday 26th April 2008
In the Garden

Cost - Normal entry charges apply Time - 10.00am to 4.00pm

Join us for our annual fun and games, we have all the old favourites - pot a plant, face painting and storytelling. DBS Productions presents Jack & Jill's Nursery Rhyme Adventure - join Jack and Jill on a wild chase around the Botanic Garden. Can you help then in their efforts to save Red Riding Hood from the Big Bad Wolf? Will the pair ever fetch that pail of water?

Find out at our Family Fun Day!!

The Art Shack will be doing a craft workshop. Come along and see the Beekeepers and the Countryside Rangers.

SNP on the fuel crisis - shades of Labour on the 10p tax rate

Today's Daily Telegraph sums up the concerns about the SNP Government's handling of the fuel crisis - to quote :

"Alex Salmond was accused of being out of touch with the fuel crisis facing Scotland yesterday after he claimed that the country could cope with a strike at its only refinery."

Click on the headline above to view the full article.

At this week’s First Minister’s Questions, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, Nicol Stephen MSP, sought to seek assurances from the First Minister that the Government was taking all appropriate steps to counter panic buying and profiteering on the part of individuals and petrol stations in the run up to the Grangemouth oil refinery strike.

Nicol Stephen said, “People throughout Scotland are dismayed and angry at the crisis and the profiteering. The First Minister has just said that there is ample fuel and has called for normal purchasing.

“Does he not know that that stopped several days ago?

“There are now long queues, empty fuel tanks and high prices. The situation is anything but normal. Will ministers stop saying that they have it all under control? Has the First Minister driven home the case to get prices capped, as I asked him to do on Monday? Will he stop ministers pretending that they have secured ample supplies?

“People want real action from the Government, not empty promises that everything is normal. People are genuinely worried. What is the First Minister doing to stop the rip-off and to keep Scotland moving?”

Thereafter - and commenting after a ministerial statement about the Grangemouth fuel dispute, Liberal Democrat Shadow Finance Secretary Tavish Scott MSP said, “The First Minister has promised that there was an ‘ample and substantial’ stock of fuel. The Cabinet Secretary in his statement said that the government needed to ‘mitigate any possible impact’ and if ‘any shortages arise’ then they would act.

“Despite the First Minister assuring the Parliament that fuel would last, ‘well into May’, Lothian Buses, just an hour later, announced that there would be no buses from Sunday onwards. Petrol stations on the A9 are without fuel.

"In the Borders, the local National Farmers Union has warned that there is no red diesel available due to the Grangemouth dispute and the Shell petrol station closest to the Scottish Parliament has run out of diesel and this afternoon increased its petrol prices by 1p a litre.

“Are Scottish Ministers the only people in Scotland not to recognise that there is a fuel shortage?

“It took a personal phone call from the Transport Secretary to reassure Lothian Buses that fuel would be guaranteed. The Transport Minister’s going to have a busy evening tonight if he has to call every bus operator in Scotland to guarantee them sufficient fuel to keep their fleets running.

“SNP Ministers simply don’t know what’s going on.”

Salmond's handling of this thus far has all the shades of Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling's "head in the sand" approach over the 10p tax rate fiasco. As my party colleague Iain Dale said on his blog (http://anything-caron-can-do.blogspot.com/) yesterday :

"They say Ross Finnie has more than a passing resemblance to Captain Mainwaring from Dad's Army. Today we saw Eck Salmond taking on the Corporal Jones role of running around in turmoil shouting "Don't panic!" to the people of Scotland."

"My solution: well there's the nub. People won't stop panicking until there is settlement of the dispute. My suggestion is that both sides go back to ACAS and accept their decision as legally binding. It seems the only feasible way out."

Seabraes Update

An on-going area of complaint has been graffiti and other vandalism at Seabraes - right - (read an earlier story about this by clicking on the headline above) , and I have recently received more complaints from constituents about the graffiti here.

Firstly, with regard to the 'mini bandstand' in the gardens area at the top of Seabraes, Dundee Contract Services has agreed to my request to have the graffiti on it removed.

With regard to graffiti across the SET area of Seabraes as a whole, I have had positive feedback from SET, whose representative has said, "I have put a call into cleansing re this. They have previously successfully treated grafitti, and we will endeavour to set up a more rigorous monitoring regime"

Allotments

I have had a fair bit of contact in recent months with some allotment holders in three allotments in or around the West End area over a number of issues, so I am pleased to see the launch of a new booklet aimed at helping allotment gardeners improve the mix of wildlife and plants in their plots.

Created by the Tayside Bio Diversity Partnership, the free publication will be distributed to every allotment holder in the city as well as all community garden committees.

You can read a PDF of it by clicking on the headline above.

Real action on the environment

Nick Clegg MP on the environment

Tom McDonald Avenue and Kirsty Semple Way

I have just been informed of this by the City Council. It will appear in the Evening Telegraph this coming Friday :

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL

ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984


DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL (TOM MCDONALD AVENUE AND KIRSTY SEMPLE WAY, DUNDEE) (BUS ONLY FACILITIES) ORDER 2008


Dundee City Council propose to make an Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, the effect of which will be to create a bus facility whilst still protecting access for emergency vehicles to the Accident and Emergency Unit at Ninewells Hospital.

Full details of the proposals are contained in the draft Order, which together with a Statement of the Council’s reasons for proposing to make the Order may be examined during normal office hours and without payment of fee at Dundee City Council offices, Reception, Floor 4, 21 City Square, Dundee by any person, during a period of 21 days from 25 April 2008.

Any person may within 21 days from 25 April 2008 object to the proposed Order by notice in writing to the Depute Chief Executive (Support Services), Dundee City Council, 21 City Square, Dundee. Objections should state the name and address of the objector, the matters to which they relate and the grounds on which they are made.


PATRICIA McILQUHAM
Depute Chief Executive (Support Services)

Perth Road latest - a few issues

Following the start of the gas main replacement works in Perth Road yesterday, there's been three issues raised with me by local residents and businesses.

Firstly, when the road closure at the Paton's Lane area was put in place, the lanes to the south at Paton's Lane, Thomson Street, Seafield Road and Lane and Westfield Place were all closed at the Perth Road junction (and the one-way situation in Paton's and Westfield altered accordingly).

Given that the actual works by Turriff won't reach Seafield Road/Lane and Westfield Place for some time yet, both residents and I thought there was no need for the closures there and following contact with the City Council and their speaking with Scotland Gas Networks, this has now been resolved and the status quo returned. To quote the feedback from the Council :

"The City Council met SGN on site this morning and after further review, decided to re-open Westfield Place and Seafield Road to run as normal until it is absolutely necessary to close them due to works.

In other words, Westfield Place is open as normal ie one-way (North to South), therefore access is via Perth Road (from city centre side) and through the signs which say Road Ahead Closed/Road Closed/Access Maintained, etc.

Seafield Road is two way, therefore access is now from either Perth Road or Roseangle/Magdalen Yard Road.

Some signs have been taken down to allow the above change and other signs are on order to give more information for other closed side roads that access is maintained for residents at junctions with Perth Road."

A satisfactory outcome.

The second issue is there is a clear need for additional bus stops on Hawkhill (one outbound, one inbound) between the stop near Urquhart Street and the one near the Health Centre. Having spoken to residents, I think one around Millers Wynd's northern end makes sense. I spoke to the Sustainable Transport Team Leader in the City Council about this today and agreement has been made to provide this.

Lastly, there was a problem getting the Friendly Bus (sheltered shopping service) into Paton's Lane today but I have been in touch with SGN, Turriff (the gas contractors) and Stagecoach Strathtay, and I'm hopeful that future journeys will be alright.

Last night's Development Quality Committee

At last night's City Council Development Quality Committee, I successfully moved refusal of a proposed application to build a property on the wooded area south of Richmond Terrace, near the allotments west of Magdalen Green. The application had been recommended for approval by planning officers.

This was the second time I moved refusal of a planning application here - the previous, remarkably similar application was refused by committee early last year, and that decision to refuse later upheld by the Reporter.

Two deputations representing local residents opposed to the development were also heard by committee last night.

My reasons for refusal were :

Application 07/01118/FUL

Proposed House at Richmond Terrace, Dundee

1) That the pruning and felling of trees for a new house in this prominent location will have a significant adverse impact on the appearance, character and setting of this part of the West End Suburbs Conservation Area contrary to the terms of Policy 61 of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 and the statutory duty set out in Section 64 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. There are no material considerations that would justify the approval of the application contrary to the development plan.

2) The insertion of a large modern house in the prominent wooded slopes as proposed would not protect or enhance the character or the appearance of the West End Suburbs Conservation Area contrary to the terms of Policy 61 of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 and the statutory duty set out in Section 64 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. There are no material considerations that would justify the approval of the application contrary to the development plan.

3) The proposed development is contrary to Policy 55 of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 by virtue of the design, appearance, scale and materials of the proposed dwelling house being inappropriate in the location proposed resulting in an adverse impact on the visual quality of the local environment. There are no material considerations that would justify the approval of the application contrary to the development plan.

4) That the proposed development has the potential to displace bat roosts and habitats resulting in an adverse impact on a European protected species of animal which is contrary to the terms of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended.

Stagecoach Strathtay Bus Route Changes

Following my blog entry last Friday about bus routes (click on headline above to view), I have had feedback from Stagecoach Strathtay's Operations Manager on the matter as follows:

"Cllr Macpherson,

Just a quick explanation of the change to the service 13 route.

It has always been the intention for the 13 to use the link road once it had opened and the service registration has been produced to show this. The link road was due to open last year and until the opening the diversion via Ninewells Avenue was only temporary.

The link road allows us to offer a more direct service to Ninewells Hospital by reducing the journey time to access the hospital. As Neil states in his email, Ninewells Avenue still enjoys a 30 minute service operated by the 42 and 96.

We are reviewing the changes we made to the network in August 2007 and also reviewing the network as a whole, so the comments regarding the service provision along Ninewells Avenue will be noted and consideration will be given to increasing the frequency along this route."

Mystery of stored flower planters revealed!

I'm pleased to say that I've now got answers to complaints by West End residents that around 20 large flower planters – currently in full bloom – have been stored beside a pavilion at Riverside, rather than being sited at prominent locations in the city as residents would rather expect they would.

I have been contacted by residents who have noticed the planters, currently in full bloom and extremely colourful, whilst out for a walk south of Magdalen Green, near the Riverside Drive Pavilion. The planters are locked away and residents said it seemed a shame that they were not being put to better use and help brighten up prominent parts of the City. One resident said the entrance to Balgay Park at Scott Street would be an excellent location for a few of them.

I therefore contacted the City Council’s Leisure & Communities Department and have been advised that the planters in question were original destined for the City Square. However, given the engineering works beneath the Square currently underway, placing the planters in the Square was not possible this year, but I have been assured that other City Centre alternative sites are being identified.

I certainly hope that the planters are relocated soon, so good use of them can be made whilst they are still in bloom.

Aye, a Dundee spree is a done deed indeed ...

Good to see Dundee getting really good press over a very positive entry in the Lonely Planet guide. To quote Lonely Planet :

"Aye, a Dundee spree is a done deed indeed.

"Spreading along the southern shore of the Firth of Tay, Dundee boasts attractions of national importance in Discovery Point and the Verdant Works museum. Add the seaside suburb of Broughty Ferry, a lively nightlife and the most welcoming people you could meet - and Dundee is definitely worth a visit."

You can read the Lonely Planet guide to Dundee by clicking on the headline above.

Botanic Garden Update

Last night's "Evening Telegraph" gave an update on the Botanic Garden.

This is an issue in which I have taken a close interest (click on headline above to view an earlier blog entry) and the Tele last night featured the fact that the University has not been prepared to give me an assurance that, in looking at ways of providing the garden with a sustainable financial future, it would rule out selling any of the garden ground to a developer. The University has made clear it (and the working group assisting with the future of the Botanics) will consider all options - but I consider this an option too far.

I have been working with one of the sub-groups the Friends of Dundee Botanic Garden established to look at ways of increasing funds. We've been looking at - for example - ways of getting support of local businesses through corporate membership of the gardens. Additionally, the recent City Council announcement regarding help via the Common Good Fund is extremely positive.

There is no doubt in my mind that the local community in the West End - and, indeed, many people from further afield - would strongly oppose the selling of any of the garden ground. The Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 is crystal clear - the whole Botanic Garden is protected open space - you can see this on-line at : http://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/dundeecity/uploaded_publications/publication_588.pdf.

I remain convinced that a sustainable financial future can be provided for the Botanic Garden without any need to sell off any of the garden ground and reduce what is a jewel in the crown in the West End.