Monday evening's Development Quality Committee (15 March 2010) of the City Council considered the 'Grove House' Office development. On a vote, the Council granted itself planning permission for this substantial office development. This will see more than 350 council staff relocated to converted offices in the buildings formerly used by Grove Academy on the south side of Camperdown Street. These premises were vacated by the school when they moved to their new buildings on the opposite side of Camperdown Street in November last year. The relocated staff, chiefly from Education and Social Work are concerned with staff training and quality improvement in schools and social work services. It follows that many of the staff based at Grove House will be coming and going to establishments all over Dundee in their day to day work.
The Committee heard from two deputation of objectors and had before them over a dozen written representations from residents opposed to the development. Objectors were chiefly those living in the vicinity of the new offices and anticipating more competition for on street parking. There were also serious concerns expressed about road safety, especially for the 1000+ pupils attending Grove Academy.
Much of the debate turned on whether measures to reduce journeys by private car proposed in two reports by external consultants were feasible and practicable. A flaw in the consultants' reports was they omitted to consider the considerable number of journeys generated to and from these premises by staff (other than those based at Grove House) attending training events and meetings. The plans clearly indicate the provision of space for training and meeting rooms.
I was disappointed in the undue haste of the Council as developer and planning authority wanting to push this planning application through. Had the developer (The Council) come forward with more thoroughly developed proposals, backed up with resources, to reduce the negative impacts of this development on environmental quality and road safety, I would have been prepared to support the motion of the Development Quality Convener, Rod Wallace. While councillors on the Development Quality Committee are meant to come to the meeting and make up their minds individually on the balance of all of the evidence presented, I did notice that Leader of the Administration, Ken Guild (also a Ferry Councillor) and all of his SNP group of councillors voted unanimously to support the proposal.
I assure my constituents that I shall continue to represent their views about road safety and parking at the working group that will be established to monitor progress introducing travel plan measures connected with this development. While I appreciate the wider community benefits for the shops and services in Broughty Ferry from more potential customers working in the area and the retention of the Centenary Sport Hall as a recreational facility, I hope this will not need to be at the undue expense of the residents living in the streets close to the Grove Offices. Primarily, I hope these changes will not need to be at the cost of a decline in the road safety of our young people attending Grove Academy.