Dundee Revised House Letting Policy - Have Your Say During the Public Consultation

This is your chance to have an influence in the review of Dundee’s Common Allocation Policy. This Policy will be used by Dundee City Council and Housing Associations in the City who may decide to join a Common Housing Register. The policy will be used to decide who receives the offer of a house based on their housing needs.

The aim of the consultation is to ensure that the policy accurately reflects the housing issues facing people in the City. We are therefore looking to seek the views of both individuals and organisations on the content of this draft policy.

Please read through the draft policy and then complete the online survey to respond to the questions posed in the draft along with any other observations you may have.

If you have any queries or need further information, please contact Brian Shaw, Tel: 01382 307415.

The closing date for this consultation is 16th September 2013.

Responses From The Council to Broughty Ferry Issues: Some Positive News

Flowerbed weeded at Douglas Terrace open space
and re-seeded area the near the road
Click on image to enlarge

Over the four weeks, I have reported a number of environmental issues that had been raised with me by constituents. Many have had a satisfactory outcome while others are progressing towards a solution.

For example, I reported to the Environment Department attention was required at the triangle of open space at the end of Douglas Terrace. Part of this area had been used as a site compound by the contractor when they worked on the upgrading of the adjacent coastal pathway. As a first step, the flower beds have been weeded and the rutted 'grass' area re-surfaced and re-seeded.

At the end of May, two residents from dispersed sheltered housing in Anton Drive and Nursery Road asked me to request the removal of a steel container. This had apparently been left by the Council contractor that had been working on the kitchen and bathroom replacements in their houses. The residents wanted this shifted as the work had been finished for some time. Several days later the Housing Department arranged for the container to be uplifted.

On Wednesday this week, I reported a large patch of giant hogweed on the embankment next to a lay by on the eastbound stretch of the A92 between the East Balgillo Road and Panmurefield roundabouts. On Thursday the area was sprayed by the Council.

Last month, along with the Community Council, I commented on the very poor state of the fencing on the dunes beside the The Esplanade. This picket fencing had previously been put in to help stabilise the dunes and funnel members of the public to a few well demarcated crossing points onto the beach. Following storm force winds the fencing had been broken and the crossing points buried under accumulations of sand. I asked for a solution but none is yet forthcoming. As a constituent said to me this week, what are those scrappy bits of fencing doing?  I have written again to the Environment Department.

Forthill Residents Want Ugly Container to be Removed From Their Open Space

On Saturday morning, two residents from dispersed sheltered housing in Anton Drive and Nursery Road asked me to request the removal of a steel container. This had apparently been left by the Council contractor that had been working on the kitchen and bathroom replacements in their houses.

Now that the upgrading work has been completed, the residents want to know why they should have to put up with this ugly steel container cluttering the open plan grassed area close to their homes. They also point out that the container has become a target for graffiti.

I have joined the residents in calling 'times up' on the container. I have passed on their request to the Housing Department and informed the Community Wardens about the graffiti.

Safety Work on Anton Drive Retaining Wall Starting Soon

Click on image to enlarge

Yesterday, the City Council confirmed that the contract for the safety work on the Anton Drive retaining wall has been finally agreed and a company called Phi Group will carry out the work. The contract is currently scheduled to start in week commencing 11 March. The Housing Department have committed to notifying residents with the definite start date by the beginning of March.

I think that residents in Anton Drive and the vicinity will be relieved when the current retaining wall has been made safe although I know there will be lingering concerns about the safety of the trees on the private land on the steeply rising bank above the retaining wall. 

Residents will however be pleased that there has been a slight amendment to how the work is to be undertaken. Initially it was thought that Anton Drive would need to be closed for at least 2 weeks while the work was carried out, but this is not now the case. The road will be kept open, but there will be parking restrictions during the day, when the work people are on site.

Waterlogged Roads and Paths in The Ferry Yesterday

Yesterday afternoon was another period of squally rain in The Ferry. As I went round my Tuesday afternoon surgeries, I noticed lots of examples where drains could not cope with the rainfall. Now this pattern of rainfall seems the norm, rather than the exception, I think our drainage on streets and paths needs improvement.

When I visited the Forthill Sheltered Housing Complex in Forthill Drive for my surgery at 3:30pm, I noticed that the drain in the path up to the Complex entrance was blocked again and so elderly residents were having to paddle through the water to get to and from the front door of the Complex. This is a perennial issue and is just not good enough for folk who are residents in 'sheltered' housing. I have reported this to the Housing Department. I hope the residents can expect a prompt and more thorough work on unblocking the drain this time.

Later in the afternoon, I was driving down Balgillo Road East linking Balgillo Road with the Arbroath Road. Just short of the roundabout water had extended over the pavement and road on the western side of this busy road. This really would be a challenging place to walk or cycle as motorists had no room to evade the water and so prevent soaking a pedestrian or cyclists as they drove past.  I have reported this to the Council and the Roads' Maintenance Partnership.

Replacement of Anton Drive Retaining Wall Approved

On Monday night 10 December, at the Housing Committee, the Committee approved a £94,144 tender for the replacement of the retaining wall in Anton Drive.

This is what I said at Committee in support of this investment:

"Convener, I welcome this tender for £94,144 for the replacement of the retaining wall at Anton Drive in The Ferry. Residents will be able to rest easier in their beds when they know that the retaining wall on the other side of their Street has been made safe. Since the City Engineer declared that the wall was in danger of collapse in early July, following a period of sustained heavy rainfall, residents have been nervous about living close to the wall and the steeply rising land behind it.

I hope they can look forward to a speedy build period and an end to a section of their road partitioned off by security fencing that was erected as a precautionary measure."

I was advised that the work would be started before the end of January and should be completed in three weeks. The Director of Housing agreed to keep residents informed about the definite start date for the building work and the required street closure during the contract period. As the new wall would partly use space previously available for informal car parking, the Director also agreed to explore alternative locations for replacement car parking spaces in the vicinity.

Council Organises Heating, Kitchen and Bathroom Upgrades for Fifteen Homes in Broughty Ferry

The Housing Department are organising a contract for Heating, Kitchen and Bathroom improvements in Broughty Ferry. Fifteen homes in Fort Street, Anton Drive, Nursery Road and King Street are part of this phase of work.

The contractor will be McGill Electrical and work is targeted to commence in December 2012 and complete in January 2013.

All of the tenants have now been visited by Housing staff to discuss the works and any arrangements which may be necessary to allow the improvements to be carried out. Meantime arrangements have been made lo provide a site display container which all tenants are welcome to come along and visit. The container is laid out with a display kitchen and bathroom allowing
tenants to see the different units, worktops, doors and handles available. At this time, The Project Team to answer any individual questions.

The display container will be located In Anton Drive next to the lock-up garages. 

While the tenants concerned are looking forward to their replacement kitchen and bathrooms and upgraded heating systems, I have written to the Housing Department to ask for some reassurances about the management of the contract. My concerns arise because many of the tenants are elderly and the contract period is programmed to be either side of Christmas and New Year. 

Frankly, If I could avoid it, I wouldn't choose to have my heating system upgraded at a time when one anticipates that the weather will be cold.  Neither would I choose to have my kitchen and bathroom upgraded just before the Christmas New Year holidays. I should be worried that some of the work would be left incomplete or that there might be some niggling fault and then the contractor's staff would be off for the best part of a fortnight. 

Anton Drive Retaining Wall Fenced Off As a Precautionary Measure

 
On Monday 11 July, I was emailed by the City Engineer, as one of The Ferry Councillors. I was informed that a safety inspection of the retaining wall which runs down one side of Anton Drive had been carried out that morning by one of the Council's Senior Engineers. Due to the poor condition of the wall and the continuing heavy rain, as a safety measure it had been necessary to erect safety fencing along the length of this wall. Furthermore, I was informed that the Council are currently designing and pricing alternative options for the wall strengthening/replacement and will consult with residents and Ferry Councillors on potential solutions 

While I welcome this precautionary measure, I share the concerns of tenants and residents about the potential threat from what is pushing over the retaining wall. In recent weeks there have been many reported land slips in Scotland on railway embankments and other places with steeply rising land which have become saturated with rain. While the protective fencing errected may prevent passers from getting near to the retaining wall, I think residents and tenants in Anton Drive will want to be reassured that there is no potential danger of a land slip and trees toppling over damaging homes and putting lives at risk.
 
As the retaining wall is built on council land and is the responsibility of the Housing Department, I shall be looking to the Council to get on with the replacement in weeks rather than months.

(Photograph DC Thomson)
Link to press coverage of this issue in The Courier
 

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