Riverside Nature Park - encampment latest

The Courier and Evening Telegraph have been covering news of the encampment of travellers (see right) who have taken over the car park at the Riverside Nature Park over the past week and my raising residents' concerns about this and calling for the council to take necessary steps to have the situation resolved.

This encampment fills the car park for the Riverside Nature Park and it is important that the car park promptly becomes available again for the purpose it is actually intended – as a short-term car park for people visiting the Nature Park, not as an unofficial caravan site.

Earlier yesterday, the City Council's City Development Department advised me that:

“I write to advise that DCC's legal division intend to raise a Summary Cause Action for Ejection this afternoon in respect of the illegal encampment at Riverside Nature Park.”

The City Council's Legal Services Department thereafter advised me that necessary court papers were lodged and that:

"It is likely that we will get the Court papers back on Monday.   As soon as we do, we will have Sheriff Officers serve the papers on the occupiers of the caravans.  

We've asked the Court to shorten the period of Notice due to the urgency of the situation, but we are in the Court's hands."

The City Council provides properly serviced facilities for the travelling community at Balmuir Wood near Tealing and I hope they will now move to use this facility.

I have also received complaints from residents that the previous unofficial travellers’ site at the former Etal factory site in the Technology Park was left with rubbish strewn around and I have asked the City Council to contact the agents at that site to arrange for it to be cleaned up.   See photos below: