Trip Hazard on Beach Steps - Watch Your Step

On Wednesday a constituent brought to my attention a defect at the top of the set of concrete steps between the Esplanade and the Beach.

As you can see, one of the tiles at the top of the steps has become detached and is sitting at a crooked angle. The seating of some of the tiles in the same row has also become exposed.

As these steps are relatively new, I hope that the original contractor can be deployed to refix these tiles during what would amount to the defects liability period.

I trust that now that I have reported this, whomsoever is responsible can remove this potential trip hazard speedily. 

In the meanwhile, please watch your step!

Broughty Ferry Beach is Awarded 2016 Seaside Award by Keep Scotland Beautiful

Broughty Ferry beach has received external recognition for the 13th year in a row!

For the 2016 bathing season, our beach has been awarded the Keep Scotland Beautiful 'Seaside Award' and an “excellent” EU Bathing Waters classification.

It is good news that the bathing water quality there has been designated ‘Excellent’ under the stringent EU Bathing Water Classification.

To qualify for the Seaside Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful, 25 conditions need to be met including: community, access and facilities; information and education; environment management and safety. These criteria cover the provision of facilities, such as toilets, first aid, information boards and parking as well as appropriate safety management, community involvement and excellent standards of cleanliness.

The beach is a huge asset for The Ferry, the wider Dundee area. and of course the visitors from further afield.

Broughty Ferry is a designated, “bathing water” monitored by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) between June and September and is given its EU classification based on four years of data. 

The bathing season at Broughty Ferry runs from now until Sunday September 4.

Big Beach Clean-Up Broughty Ferry Saturday 9 May 2015

On Saturday 9 May 2015, the Marine Conservation Society are running a Big Beach Clean-up in Broughty Ferry beginning at 10:00. 

Join in on Saturday 9 May 2015. Start time: 10:00. The clean up will last between one and three hours. Protective gear and equipment will be supplied. 

Meeting place in the Mill Street car park, near the beach.

Event leader name and contact number: Mark McKenzie 07914114212

Public Consultation - Reshaping the Dunes BFerry Beach - Drop In Wed 21 January 2 - 8 pm Castle Green Centre

Click on plan to enlarge

On Wednesday 21 January Broughty Ferry residents and traders have the opportunity to find out more about the City Council's planning application to alter the shape and reinforce the base of the dunes at Broughty Ferry beach. This is one of a series of coastal protection measures the Council is bringing forward to minimize the risk of flooding along the Dundee City coastline. 

There will be a drop-in Consultation Event at the Castle Green Leisure Centre, St Vincent Street, Broughty Ferry between 2-8pm on Wednesday 21 January 2015. The event will provide residents and other interested parties an opportunity to look through drawings and details associated with the proposals as well as the opportunity to ask questions on the day.  

The public consultation period for the application is to be extended until Wednesday 4 February at 5pm to allow for any further comments after this event.

The full details of the planning application are as follows:
Reshaping, increased height, planting and formation of access points on the existing Dune system at the Esplanade, Broughty Ferry. Works to include for screened defence works at base of dunes on seaward side. Planning Application Ref: 14/00761/FULL
Link to Planning Application Documents and Plans

Broughty Ferry Beach Awarded Prestigious Resort Flag 2014 by Keep Scotland Beautiful

This morning, Keep Scotland Beautiful annnounced the 2014 list of 61 beaches in Scotland that had been judged to have met the standards for their Seaside Awards and once again Broughty Ferry beach is confirmed as having met the Resort Flag standard. In fact for over ten years, Broughty Ferry Beach has consistenly met this Resort Flag standard. According to Keep Scotland Beautiful:
"This award symbolises excellence in beach management and environmental best practice which ensures the maintenance of high standards so our beaches are clean, safer and sustainable for community use. Beaches are awarded either the Resort or Rural Seaside Award."

This award is in no small part due to the week in and week out collaborative work of all the partners involved in the Beach Management Group, especially the Environment Department of the City Council.

Scottish Beach Award Guide 2014

Broughty Ferry Beach Recommended Again by the Marine Conservation Society

Yesterday the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) published their annual survey results on UK beaches.

Broughty Ferry beach came out well on the Society's survey of water quality throughout last year achieving consistently good results.

This has led to our beach receiving a 'MCS Recommended' status.

Link to Marine Conservation Society web page on Broughty Ferry beach.
 

Repair to Leaking Sewer on Broughty Beach Planned to Start Today But Permanent Solution is Yet to be Scheduled

Scottish Water confirmed on Thursday evening that they have managed to schedule the repair work to the leaking sewer pipe on the Beach near the Douglas Terrace end of the coastal pathway. Work is planned to begin today.

I hope that they will have enough time between the tides to stem this particular leak and not need to come back tomorrow. I understand however that this is only likely to be a temporary repair. Since leaks of foul water on the beach were identified last year close to the current visible leak, Scottish Water have admitted that a permanent replacement of this sewer pipe and the junction buried under the beach is required. While I am assured by them that a comprehensive replacement is being planned, the timescale for undertaking this seems to be stretching into the future.

I think Broughty Ferry residents will be relieved that this particular repair is now going ahead but like me will also want Scottish Water to get on with the work to permanently replace this troublesome section of the sewers. They will also want to to be know that our beaches will be protected from the source of this pollution over the rest of the summer.

Successful Litter Pick Organised by Broughty Ferry in Bloom

From left Stan Nutt, Laurie Bidwell,
Mary Holligan and Peter Sandwell

On Saturday afternoon I joined nine other volunteers undertaking the litter pick organised by Broughty Ferry in Bloom. This was their contribution to the one week Festival of Volunteering in Dundee running between Saturday 1st and Friday 7th June 2013.

The organisers supplied protective gloves, waste sacks, litter picks and fluorescent safety vests which made the job easier and less messy. 

Walking along the tide line we collected waste that had been discarded on the beach or washed up with the tide. The largest items we found included a section of interlocking site fencing and a car battery. As you can see in the picture our haul filled more than a few sacks.

Sand Dunes Need Stabilisation Again

Recent high easterly winds have deposited tons of sand on the Esplanade in Broughty Ferry which the Environment Department have been valiantly sweeping up and removing.

The dunes that sit between the Esplanade and the beach seem to have taken a pounding. 

Little of the fencing that had been erected to help stabilise the dunes remains in place. It had already been broken but the recent storm force winds seem to have finished it off.  I have contacted the Environment Department to ask what plans are in place to tackle these issues, not only to retain the sand dunes as a feature of the beach, but also to help protect homes in the vicinity from wind blown sand. 

Scottish Water Fail to Repair the Sewage Leak on Broughty Ferry Beach

The Photo Evidence of the Original Sewage Leak

On Wednesday morning I was informed by a reporter from the Evening Telegraph that the sewage leak on the beach in Broughty Ferry which I had first identified on 2nd October had been repaired. I had reported to Scottish Water by email and with photos that I could see foul water leaking out of the side of the concrete mound that apparently protects an inspection hatch.

This leak was is the main sewer pipeline which runs under the beach just west of of where the raised coastal pathway joins Douglas Terrace.  I also reported that the action of the sea had clearly undermined part of the structure. I requested that Scottish Water organise an urgent and comprehensive response.

Imagine my disappointment, when I went to check this out myself at midday on Wednesday, and I found that the leak had not been stopped. There was evidence indeed of an attempt to fix the leak but it appeared to be a quick and rather bodged job. There were tracks on the beach from a digger and some pebbles and stones that had clearly been shifted as well as concrete which appeared to have had been poured near the source of the visible leak. In view of the apparent lack of any protective shuttering of the concrete laid or poured it had already been shifted by the rising tide. Furthermore there had been no proper attempt to remove the sea weed that covers the visible structure so that a comprehensive inspection of the leaking structure could take place. 

I have complained to Scottish Water that this is just not good enough. Council tax payers in The Ferry ward will wonder what their Water Charge pays for if not for the provision of adequate and well maintained drainage and sewerage.

I think Scottish Water need to live up to their public statement that:

'Our job is to bring clearer, fresher drinking water to your tap, we supply 2.3 billion litres of drinking water per day and remove nearly a billion litres of waste water daily – treating it carefully before returning it to the environment.'

This is clearly NOT a job where I shall be nominating a Scottish Water employee for a GEM Award, Going the Extra Mile. 

I have also copied my latest report to Scottish Water to the Director of the City Council's Environment Department. This is because the Council's Environmental Health Officers may need to suspend the harvesting of shell fish from the beach and warn folk to stay away from this section of the beach while the sewage leak persists.

Issues Arising on a Busy Tuesday

There may not be any Council meetings this week, but yesterday was a very busy day for me as a Ferry Councillor. 

On Tuesday morning, I received two well reasoned and detailed emails from constituents.  One was requesting action about damaged trees in Gillies Park in Barnhill. The other inquiry was about the road safety issues arising  from dropped cast iron drain covers in Balgillo Road. 

On my daily dog walk along to Grassy Beach, I investigated the source of the sewage pong which was wafting around the western end of Douglas Terrace.

In the afternoon I had two surgeries, one at Forthill Sheltered Housing Complex 15:30 - 16:00 and one at the in Broughty Ferry Library 18:00-18:30.

I then attended and reported to a meeting of Broughty Ferry Community Council. Our Community Council meet in the Library at 7pm on the first Tuesday of each month.

In the course of the surgeries and the Community Council meeting, I received five more issues to follow up:

• to check the frequency of cleaning of Broughty Ferry Beach by staff from the Environment Department;
• to represent the concerns of a constituent in connection with an educational issue at a Primary School in The Ferry;
• to follow up pupil safety issues raised by a school crossing patroller;
• to convey concerns about the non enforcement of section 70 agreements by the Council's Planning Department and
• to discover how restrictions might be lifted for flying the Broughty Ferry flag more often in 2013, the centenary year of Broughty Ferry being incorporated into Dundee.

There will be lots of letters and phone calls to follow up these issues complaints and concerns.

Broughty Ferry Beach Gets its Blue Flag Back

On Wednesday Broughty Ferry beach was presented with its blue flag for 2012 by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

The prestigious blue flag is only awarded to a beach that provides high levels of cleanliness, good water quality and has top class facilities. The judges at Keep Scotland Beautiful believe that for the 2012 season, Broughty Ferry beach fits the bill.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to only 3849 beaches and marinas in 46 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada and the Caribbean; so clearly Broughty Ferry beach is in very select company.

It was a different story last year when unusually high levels of rainfall meant that pollutants were leeched into the water and these were present when the water quality was tested.

Litter Pickers Needed on Broughty Ferry Beach this Saturday Morning

Broughty Ferry in Bloom group have appealed for volunteers to join them for a litter pick on Broughty Ferry beach/esplanade this Saturday - 28 April - starting at 10.00am.  
Anyone interested in volunteering please meet at the car park opposite the toilets at Barnhill Rock Garden.