Thursday 31 August 2017

Pennycook Lane - great work by Blackness Primary School #dundeewestend

The area of former spare ground on the south side of Pennycook Lane opposite Blackness Primary School is looking great - see below :
As one of the residents in the nearby sheltered housing advised : "Can I just draw your attention to the wonderful job the staff at Blackness Primary (with the help of the children, I think) have done with the spare bit of ground.  It looks really good and they should be commended for it."

Wednesday 30 August 2017

WestFest AGM

WestFest is holding its 2017 Annual General Meeting at Blackness Library at 7pm on Wednesday 6th September.

Following another great WestFest Big Sunday in June, the WestFest team will be starting organisation of next year's event and all are welcome to attend the AGM and help deliver this superb annual event.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

Temporary Traffic Order - Old Hawkhill

From the City Council :

THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984 - SECTION 14(1)

THE DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL AS TRAFFIC AUTHORITY being satisfied that traffic on the road should be prohibited by reason of Scottish Water mains repair works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in Old Hawkhill (between Park Place and Hunter Street), Dundee

This notice comes into effect on Monday 4 September 2017 for 5 working days.

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

Alternative routes are available via Nethergate / Perth Road / Hawkhill

For further information contact 433082.

Executive Director of City Development
Dundee City Council

Monday 28 August 2017

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward #dundeewestend

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 28 AUGUST 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 15 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for one week.

A85 Riverside Drive – prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive for 15 weeks for works to the sea wall.  Prohibitions will only be in place when required.

Riverside Drive (at Perth Road) – off-peak lane closure from Monday 28 August for 3 days for tree pruning works.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Old Hawkhill (Park Place to Hunter Street) – closed from Monday 4 September for 5 working days for Scottish Water mains repair works.

Glenagnes Street (Ashbank Road to Birchwood Place) – closed from Monday 4 September for 3 days for BT cabling work.

Sunday 27 August 2017

Blether Tay-Gither - Storytelling in Dundee


Our August Blether will be on Tuesday 29th August at 7pm in Madigan's Food Emporium and Bookshop, Castle Street.

The theme this month is " Mythical Creatures."

Hope to see some of you there – all welcome!

Saturday 26 August 2017

Getting things done - Scott Street and Pentland Avenue #dundeewestend

Yesterday afternoon, I had a really useful site visit with council environment officers regarding the overgrown and unsightly sloped areas in Pentland Avenue and Scott Street - at the west end of each :
West end of Scott Street
Slope in Pentland Avenue
It was agreed at the site visit that the overgrown area in Scott Street will be strimmed back in the near future.

With regard to Pentland Avenue's slope which is a real challenge to maintain given its significant gradient, it has been agreed to plant lupins or a similar plant next season which will improve the look of the area.

Friday 25 August 2017

Riverside Drive Wildflower success #dundeewestend

Again this year, I have received many favourable comments about the wildflower displays the council's Neighbourhood Services has been responsible for on Riverside Drive and at other locations - a really colourful success :

Thursday 24 August 2017

The Guernica Children - Exhibition

From Brian Devlin :
I am developing a children's war museum to present children's experience of war through their own voices and creativity.

We are presenting an exhibition about the Basque child refugees at Dundee central library from 28th August to 9th September.

After the bombing of Guernica in 1937 during the Spanish civil war 4000 children were evacuated to Britain.    The government did not want to compromise its policy of neutrality and offered no assistance to the El Nino's.    Mining communities, schools, churches, trade unions, peace groups and private sponsors supported the children who also raised money by performing concerts of music and dance from the Basque country. 

The only Scottish colony was established in Montrose by supporters from Dundee.    A concert was held at the Caird Hall to raise money for the child refugees.   It is 80 years since the El Nino's came to the area. Dundee and Angus should be proud of the support that they gave to the children.    We hope our exhibition will let more people know about this local history.

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Hawkhill environmental improvements #dundeewestend

Many residents have commented to me what a good job the council's Neighbourhood Services has made of the corner site environmental improvement in Hawkhill at the junction with Bellfield Street - opposite the Whitehall Theatre :
I am pleased the council agreed to my request that this site was not sold off to a property developer some months ago and the environmental improvements clearly make the point that keeping the site in public ownership was the right thing to do.

Tuesday 22 August 2017

Harris Education and Recreation Association - Autumn programme #dundeewestend

Harris Education and Recreation Association has an excellent Autumn programme of evening classes starting in September - details below or click here for a more readable version.

Enrolment night is at the school on 31st August from 6pm to 7.30pm :


Monday 21 August 2017

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward #dundeewestend

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 21 AUGUST 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 16 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 2 weeks.

A85 Riverside Drive – prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive for 16 weeks for works to the sea wall.  Prohibitions will only be in place when required.

Forthcoming Roadworks

Glenagnes Street (Ashbank Road to Birchwood Place) – closed from Monday 4 September for 3 days for BT cabling work.

Sunday 20 August 2017

Harris Academy FPs' Lunch

The next Harris Academy Former Pupils’ Association Lunch is on Monday 4th September at 12 noon for 12.30pm.

It will be held in Invercarse Hotel on Perth Road and the cost per person, payable on arrival, will be £16.00.

More information is available from the FPs’ Treasurer Freida Soutar on 562788. 

You can read more about the Harris Academy Former Pupils’ Association here.

Saturday 19 August 2017

Today - Aileen Carr at the Wighton!

From Sheena Wellington :

Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library - Cappuccino Concert with Aileen Carr!
Saturday 19th August, 11am (doors open 10.30am) - Admission £5 (tea/coffee available for small charge)

Aileen Carr was born in Coupar Angus, in Perthshire. Her father, self-taught on the melodeon, had a fine Scots voice, while her mother also sang and played the piano at musical evenings at home.   

Aileen’s family could not afford piano lessons for her but that didn’t hold back Aileen’s interest in music and song.   In true folk singing style she would happily sing to people as a little girl and as a teenager was encouraged to sing and perform with a local concert party.

The 1960s were exciting times for the folk revival in Scotland but it was hearing the likes of Belle Stewart at the 1967 Blairgowrie Festival that was a defining moment for Aileen - not to mention the day she was given, at teacher training college, a copy of Norman Buchan and Peter Hall’s 1973 ‘Scottish Folksinger’. On her family moving to Goole in Yorkshire, Aileen became a floor singer at the South Cave folk club and at the Bluebell Club in Hull, where she met many performers such as Alison McMorland and Archie Fisher. In the 1970’s she returned to Scotland and became a regular solo singer at St Andrews and other folk clubs, performing at Kinross Festival and throughout Britain and Ireland. In the 1980’s she joined Ceolbeg for a time and later became a member of the highly popular a capella group, Palaver.

Aileen continues to sing solo, and over and above her clear, disciplined performances and her excellent, powerful singing voice, her most important attribute is the way she persistently searches out fresh and interesting material from both sung and printed sources, constantly researching texts, tunes and history. Although an eclectic singer in the true folk tradition, it is the great classical story ballads - especially Scottish - and their rich history that she enjoys most of all.

Some years ago Aileen was invited to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival - the critics summed her up well:

‘Her singing is confident and strong and she makes the longer ballads all the more easily digestible by showing that she really cares’ (The Herald)

‘There was nothing to beat the full-blooded, attacking style of Aileen Carr, at her powerful, ‘wha-daur-meddle’ best’ (The Scotsman)

Friday 18 August 2017

Verdant Works Indian Summer Family Day #dundeewestend

Raw jute fibre was first imported into Britain in 1791 by the East India Company which traded in Bengal.    

Tomorrow, Saturday 19th August, the links between India and the Indian subcontinent and Dundee will be celebrated again with this family-friendly afternoon of colour, music, food and dance, celebrating Dundee’s international community.

12 noon to 4pm : Drop in crafts
1pm to 3pm  : Face-painting
1pm : Bollywood performance and workshop
2pm : Traditional storytelling
3pm : A taste of India snacks
3.30pm : Sitar music

All activities included in the regular Verdant Works museum admission.

Thursday 17 August 2017

West End Surgeries #dundeewestend

With the school holidays over, it is back to West End Ward surgeries tonight!   My Blackness Primary School surgery is at 6.15pm prompt in the staff room on the ground floor.

My full surgery details are below – although I can also be contacted via esurgery@frasermacpherson.org.uk or phone me at home on 459378 anytime :

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Tuesday 15 August 2017

Monday 14 August 2017

Weekly Road Report – West End Ward #dundeewestend

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 14 AUGUST 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 17 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 2 weeks.

A85 Riverside Drive – prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive for 17 weeks for works to the sea wall.  Prohibitions will only be in place when required.

Sunday 13 August 2017

Pedestrian safety near Roseangle playpark #dundeewestend

I have previously raised residents' concerns about pedestrian safety near the Roseangle playpark since the playpark was improved and footfall significantly increased.

Having have received more concerns, I again contacted the City Council's roads and transportation division about this and have received the following feedback from one of the roads engineers :

“Myself and three other colleagues visited this location to assess the situation.

As you are aware, our road safety budget is prioritised by identifying accident cluster sites within the city and providing improvements to reduce the likelihood of recurrences. At the location in question, there have been no recorded injury accidents at this location in the last three years and so would not displace any other cluster site under consideration.

While we were on site … vehicle speeds approaching this crossing point were not excessive and those vehicles approaching from Riverside Drive were slow having turned the tight radius onto the railway bridge.

I will carry out further surveys at this location to determine if there is a significant problem.”

I will be continuing to pursue this issue and will keep residents updated.

Saturday 12 August 2017

Police Community Surgeries in the West End #dundeewestend

The next West End Police Surgery takes place at Blackness Library on Monday - details below :

Friday 11 August 2017

Event today at Verdant Works #dundeewestend

From Sheena Wellington :

1.20pm to 1.50pm  - The Wighton Singers - Verdant Works, West Henderson’s Wynd

Join us for the last of the special fortnightly summer programme of lunchtime concerts in the High Mill, covering a wide range of music genres. 

The Wighton Singers describe themselves as "a group of friends who love to sing together” and they meet on Tuesday afternoons at the Wighton Heritage Centre.  Their repertoire is mainly Scottish traditional but they might provide a surprise or two!

Concert, £2 includes tea/coffee, no booking required. Children, free.

Thursday 10 August 2017

Getting things done - Hawkhill Court, Mid Wynd #dundeewestend

Last year I raised the condition of the former industrial units on the east side of Hawkhill Court, Mid Wynd where there was dumping of rubbish, weeds and graffiti.   

At that time the site agents for the privately owned units kindly arranged a tidy up at my request and placed barriers to prevent further rubbish being dumped - the latter has worked well.

However, residents have pointed out to me that the area has become overgrown again and has a lot of graffiti - see photo below :
I therefore contacted the site agents again seeking removal of weeds and graffiti removal and had a very prompt response promising action.

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Monday 7 August 2017

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.

Saturday 5 August 2017

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward #dundeewestend

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD – SUNDAY 6 AUGUST 2017

Lochee Road (at Cleghorn Street) – temporary traffic lights on Sunday 6 August for Scottish Water manhole repair.

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 7 AUGUST 2017

Riverside Esplanade/Riverside Drive (Tay Road Bridge off ramp to 75m along Riverside Drive) – westbound nearside lane closure for 18 weeks to facilitate V&A construction works.

SSE Glenagnes Cable Renewal – Lochee Road lane restrictions and closures on Blinshall Street, Fleuchar Street and Scott Street for 3 weeks.

A85 Riverside Drive – prohibition of right turn from westbound lane of Riverside Drive into Riverside approach and prohibition of right turn from Riverside Approach in to Riverside Drive for 18 weeks for works to the sea wall.  Prohibitions will only be in place when required.

Perth Road (Hawkhill to Roseangle) – closed for 2 weeks for carriageway resurfacing.

Friday 4 August 2017

New future sought for West End Technopole site #dundeewestend

I have called on Dundee City Council to consider additional or alternative uses for the Technopole site in the West End (see photo below) that has sat largely empty for more than the previous decade.     
The site runs to the east of Annfield Road from Blackness Road in the north to Hawkhill to the south.   Funded originally to establish biotechnology, creative industries and digital media operations,  there is some business use of the site but much of it has not been developed and sits empty and, in parts, overgrown.

Following constituent concerns about the lack of progress in getting the remainder of the site filled with new businesses and it sitting largely empty, I contacted the council’s City Development Director earlier in the spring about it - to be advised :

“I can confirm that DCD Ltd only own one building within the Technopole which is the Incubator II building in James Lindsay Place. The remaining buildings and land is in City Council ownership.

The Technopole infrastructure was part funded through ERDF and uses for the site are currently restricted to biotechnology, creative industries and digital media operations. Scottish Government approval to alter these restrictions would be required. Notwithstanding this, consideration is being given to alternative uses of the site which would be subject to Scottish Government approval and planning consent.”

(For info – DCD Ltd - Dundee City Development Limited - was established by the City Council some years ago to assist capital growth so the whole site is in essentially in public ownership).

I have now written again to senior council officers asking for a progress report on alternative uses for the currently unused parts of the site.    I have also suggested that part of the unused part at the northern end nearest Blackness Road could be converted into some parking provision even short-term to assist residents and businesses in the eastern part of Blackness Road, where parking is difficult.

It is vital that proposals come forward to make better use of the currently unused parts of the Technopole site.    It has been under-used for years and this situation cannot continue.    Some short to medium term parking provision would be a boon whilst a longer-term strategy is being developed.

Thursday 3 August 2017

Stewart Carmichael exhibition - talk and tour

From the Curator of Museum Services at the University of Dundee :

On Saturday 5th August at 2pm, I will be giving an illustrated talk and guided tour to accompany the exhibition Stewart Carmichael: Celtic Visions in the Lamb Gallery at the University of Dundee. 

The exhibition marks 150 years since the birth of one of Dundee’s most significant artists, Stewart Carmichael (1867-1950).    For six decades, he was one of the leading figures of Dundee’s cultural scene, a constant champion for the role of art and culture in society. 

The talk will take place in the D’Arcy Thompson Lecture Theatre on the ground floor of the University Tower Building, and will be followed by an informal tour of the exhibition. 

Attendance is free and there is no need to book. 

The event has been organised in collaboration with the Scottish Society for Art History.

Wednesday 2 August 2017

Sunday's Band Concert - Magdalen Green #dundeewestend

This Sunday’s band concert on Magdalen Green features the Forfar Instrumental Band.   It starts at 2pm on Sunday 6th August at the bandstand.

Details available here.