The Courier has, this morning, kindly covered the issue I have raised about the condition of the pathway from Shaftesbury Road to Perth Road, adjacent to Seymour Lodge. The pathway is well used by local people but is in poor condition.
Towards the end of last year, a number of residents had approached me regarding the condition of the roadway and parking area here and I therefore contacted Tayside Police regarding it, as the Police own the adjacent Seymour Lodge property.
The response from the Force Solicitor was as follows, “I have had a look at our title and it seems that TRC {the former Tayside Regional Council} made an order - The Tayside Region (Seymour Street, Dundee) (Prohibition of Driving) Order 1987 - which prohibited driving on a one metre length of the street at a point 20 metres south of Shaftesbury Road. That's where and when the bollards were erected. The road had an unmade surface at this time and it was closed to through traffic due to the poor condition of the road.”
Tayside Police did, however, confirm that it is in ownership of the western part of the roadway from Shaftesbury Road to Perth Road – the part adjacent to Seymour Lodge itself. As it is the section used by pedestrians to walk between the two streets, I have now written to both the Chief Constable and the Force’s solicitor asking that a section of pathway be upgraded to provide a decent surface for pedestrians, free of trip hazards. It is very clear that this section of pathway would be considered a right of way, having been so used without substantial and effective interruption for at least 20 years.