Friends of Balgay Summer Meeting

The Friends of Balgay Summer 2016 Meeting will take place on Saturday 3rd September in the Mills Observatory.    It starts at 2pm and everyone is welcome!

There will be a talk about the observatory and its work by a staff member and also the opportunity to take part in a tour of the observatory and see the recent improvements.

Blether Tay-Gither - Storytelling in Dundee

From Blether Tay-Gither :

Our August Blether will be tonight - Tuesday 30th August - at 7pm in Madigan's Food Emporium and Bookshop, Castle Street.

The theme this month is FESTIVALS.

Hope to see some of you there – all welcome!

Ninewells Community Garden - Ladybird Kids' Club

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 29 AUGUST 2016

Scottish Water Clatto East (Mains Renewal) – Logie Street (Loons Road to City Road) closed southbound and City Road (Logie Street to Tullideph Road) closed for 2 weeks.  Temporary traffic lights at Loons Road / Gardner Street junction.

Polepark Road and Guthrie Street – traffic control for 2 weeks for street lighting works.

Forthcoming Closures

Perth Road (Glamis Road to West Park Road) – closed from Monday 5 September for 8 weeks for gas main renewal.

Park Place (Old Hawkhill to Smalls Lane) – closed from Monday 5 September for 3 weeks for gas main repair works.

Sheila Tennant Awards - and Perth Road photocall

Last night, it was a great pleasure to attend the 2016 Sheila Tennant Awards evening, that took place in Dundee West Church.

Sheila was a very old friend of mine, who passed away in 2013.      It was typical of Sheila's generosity that she left a substantial legacy to Dundee West Church, her own parish church, and the church is using a generous part of the legacy for the awards to benefit local good causes and projects.   

The Awards night – the second year of the awards - was again excellent – the photo below shows the Harris Academy Pipe Band piping in guests at the commencement of the evening – and congratulations go to the Hot Chocolate Trust, Togs for Tots, Dot Dig and the Lochee Music Group, the winners of the 2016 awards :

Earlier in the day, I participated in a photocall in Perth Road's shopping area at which the Lord Provost, West End councillors, local businesses, Scottish Water, their contractors and West End community representatives marked the welcome return of the Perth Road and Nethergate shopping area to 2-way traffic after the completion of this section of Scottish Water's infrastructure works.

I am pictured below with two of the volunteers from the Perth Road Shelter shop after the photocall :

Temporary Traffic Order - Perth Road

From the City Council :

Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating gas main renewal works.  The Order is expected to be in force for 8 weeks from 29 August 2016.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in Perth Road between Glamis Road and West Park Road.

Pedestrian access and vehicular access to premises will be maintained where possible.

An alternative route will be available via Blackness Avenue, Blackness Road and Glamis Road.

Please forward any comments you may have regarding this proposal to the Network Management Team, City Development Department, Dundee House, 50 North Lindsay Street, Dundee  DD1 1LS and if you have any queries please contact 433082.

Harris Academy FPs' Lunch

The next Harris Academy Former Pupils’ Association Lunch is on Monday 5th September.

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’ Social Secretary Sandra Mulford at social@harrisfps.co.uk and bookings should be advised by 5pm on Thursday 1st September 2016.

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

Ballads of Battle : Joseph Lee, Poet and Artist

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

“Of the verse that has come straight from the trenches, the Ballads and Battle are among the very best. The horror, the exultation, the weariness and the humour of trench warfare are here.” - The Spectator

As part of the on-going commemorations of the centenary of the Great War, the University of Dundee’s Archive and Museum Services have created a new exhibition celebrating the life and work of the Dundee writer and illustrator Joseph Lee (1876-1949), whose first book of war poetry, Ballads of Battle was published 100 years ago.

Ballads of Battle established Lee as one of Scotland’s finest Great War poets, and critics placed him alongside the likes of Owen, Brooke and Sassoon. Although his reputation has since been unfairly eclipsed, his poetry and war memoirs remain powerfully evocative and authentic. What makes Lee even more remarkable is that before the war he had a highly successful career as a journalist and was also a skilled artist who illustrated his own books and periodicals. After the war he moved to London to study at the Slade alongside the likes of Stanley Spencer.

At the time war was declared in 1914, Lee was working in Dundee as a newspaper editor, writer and illustrator. He was 38 and suffered from bronchial asthma, but joined many of his younger colleagues in the 4th Black Watch, known as “Dundee’s Own”.  The group became known as the “fighter writers” and often sent back articles, poems and drawings from the front.

Arriving in France in February 1915, Lee soon saw action in many major battles including Neuve Chapelle, Ypres, Loos and the Somme. He found expression for his experiences in his sketches and poems. His first book of war poetry, Ballads of Battle, was published in April 1916 and received favourable reviews both in Britain and the USA. His next volume, Work-A-Day Warriors, published in 1917, was equally well-received.

In November 1917 Lee was taken prisoner at the Battle of Cambrai and spent the rest of the war in various prison camps including Karlsruhe and Beeskow. Even as a prisoner of war he retained his creativity, organising concerts and plays and sketching his fellow prisoners and their captors.

The exhibition is drawn from the unique collection of artworks, publications and documents held by the University of Dundee’s Archive and Museum Services, as well as some items on loan from other local collections. It will be on show in the Lamb Gallery from 27th August – see poster below :

Temporary Traffic Order - Logie Street and Lochee Road Area - and bus information

From the City Council :

Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating Scottish Water mains renewal works.  The Order is expected to be in force for 8 weeks from 29 August 2016.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in (1) Logie Street southbound between Loons Road and City Road, (2) Lochee Road: Phase 1 – southbound between Tullideph Road and Dudhope Terrace and Phase 2 – southbound between Dudhope Terrace and Park Street, (3) Rankine Street between Lochee Road and Inverary Terrace, (4) Cleghorn Street between Lochee Road and Benvie Road, (5) Muirton Road between Old Muirton Road and Logie Street, (6) Lower Pleasance between Lochee Road and Brewery Lane and (7) Gardners Lane at its junction with Lochee Road.

More than one road may be closed at any one time.  The one-way order relating to Muirton Road (Old Muirton Road to Lochee Road) will be rescinded for the duration of the works.

Alternative routes will be available via (1) Loons Road/Gardner Street/Rankine Street, (2) Phase 1 – Tullideph Road/City Road/Milnbank Road/Polepark Road and Phase 2 – Dudhope Terrace/Infirmary Brae/Barrack Road/Constitution Road/North Marketgait/Ladywell Roundabout/North Marketgait, (3) Lochee Road/Logie Street/Loons Road/Gardner Street, (4) Benvie Road/Fyffe Street/Polepark Road/Lochee Road, (5) Muirton Road/Ancrum Road/Logie Street, (6) Lochee Road/Polepark Road/Brewery Lane and (7) Lochee Road/Dudhope Terrace/St Mary Place/St Mary Street.

Any queries regarding this proposal, please contact the Network Management Team, City Development Department on 433082.

Bus detour information from Xplore Dundee :

Logie Street closure (city bound) - 29 August for 2 weeks (The road closure is southward (city centre bound) only) -

Services 9/10 (Outer Circle)

No diversion necessary.

Service 23 (from Lochee, towards City Centre)

Normal route to Lochee High Street, then via Loons Road, Gardner Street, Rankine Street, crossing Lochee Road to Cleghorn Street, then via City Road, Pentland Avenue and then normal route.

Services 23a & 28/29 (from Lochee, towards City Centre)

Normal routes to Lochee High Street, then via Loons Road, Gardner Street, Rankine Street, Lochee Road and then normal route.

Tay Road Bridge 50th Anniversary Celebrations #trb50

Yesterday's Tay Road Bridge 50th Anniversary Celebrations were fantastic - including the weather!

Here's a few photos and also a short video of the Lochgelly High School Pipe Band, who opened the event and are hugely talented and entertaining :

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 22 AUGUST 2016

Scottish Water Clatto East mains renewal – Perth Road (Hawkhill to Nethergate) - closed eastbound for 1 week.

Scottish Water Clatto East City Road DMA (Mains Renewal) – Annfield Road and Annfield Street closed for one week.

Guthrie Street (at Daniel Street) – temporary traffic lights for one week for water main repair.

Forthcoming Closures

Logie Street (Loons Road to City Road) – closed southbound from Monday 29 August for 2 weeks for Scottish Water Clatto East City Road DMA.

Perth Road (Glamis Road to West Park Road) – closed from Monday 5 September for 8 weeks for gas main renewal.

Ninewells Community Garden Open Day

Getting things done - Pentland Crescent

Residents have complained to me that growth from trees is obstructing the path that runs along Pentland Crescent from the bottom of Saggar Street and round to Pentland Avenue - see below :

I contacted the City Council's Neighbourhood Services and have been given an assurance that this will be trimmed back.

Friends of Wighton update ...

From Sheena Wellington of Friends of Wighton :

Cappuccino Concerts - admission £5.  (Tea and coffee available for small donation).   

  

Saturday 20th August at 11am (doors open 10.30am) 

Double Mod Gold Medallist Wilma Kennedy, one of Scotland’s finest Gaelic singers – and, we are proud to say, Wighton Gaelic song tutor – with a programme which includes songs from Albyn’s Anthology, which is in the Wighton Collection.

Events at the Botanic Garden

There are two events taking place at the Botanic Garden this coming Sunday - 21st August :

• Butterflies and bees - 12 noon to 3pm.
• Guided walk looking for bats - 8pm to 10pm.

For further information about these events, contact the Botanic Garden office on 381190 or check the Garden's website.

Getting things done - Edward Street/Forest Park Road

I have recently had complaints from residents in Forest Park Road whose flats back onto the Royal Mail's Central Sorting Office and Depot in Edward Street about the very overgrown foliage from the depot protruding into their back garden area.

I contacted Royal Mail and have had the following positive response :

"I have checked with the manager who had put a request in with our facilities helpdesk to get this work done and is chasing this up as a matter of urgency."

Adult learning in the West End

The new Dundee City Council adult learning newsletter (Summer 2016) is now available and you can download it here.

The following courses are available in the West End :

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 15 AUGUST 2016

Scottish Water Clatto East mains renewal – Perth Road (Hawkhill to Nethergate) - closed eastbound for 2 weeks.

Scottish Water Clatto East City Road DMA (Mains Renewal) – Annfield Road and Annfield Street closed.

Riverside Drive (Tesco service roundabout to rail bridge) – off-peak lane closures and temporary traffic lights on Thursday 18 August for sewer surveying.

A90 Kingsway (at Swallow roundabout) – overnight (7.30pm – 6.30am) offside northbound lane closures on Wednesday 17 August for signage works.

Guthrie Street (at Daniel Street) – temporary traffic lights for one week for water main repair.

Brown Street, Dundee – temporary traffic lights from Thursday 11 August for one week for SSE cable fault.

Forthcoming Closures

Logie Street (Loons Road to City Road) – closed southbound from Monday 29 August for 2 weeks for Scottish Water Clatto East City Road DMA.

Surgeries return - with an alteration!

Schools return for pupils next Tuesday (15th) - with the exception of Harris Academy which opens later for pupils [19th for S1, S4-6 and 22nd for S2-3] because of the full opening of the new building and move from the Lawton Road decant site.

With the return of the schools, my ward surgeries recommence (the first one being Blackness Primary School on Thursday 18th August) - but with one change - I have moved my Monday 4.50pm surgery that was decanted to the West Park Centre for the past three years back to Harris Academy where it has traditionally taken place.

My new surgery details poster is below :

Engage in the West End! @EngageDundee

Yesterday, along with the West End Communities Officer and my ward colleagues, I participated in a useful discussion at the Mitchell Street Centre about the issues affecting the West End that could be tackled as part of the new West End Community Plan.

A Community Plan for the West End has been in place since 2008.    Over the years much has been delivered and it is now time to develop a new plan for the coming period - 2017 to 2022.

As part of the process to create new Local Community Plans, Dundee City Council, on behalf of the Dundee Partnership, is seeking to identify the issues that give residents concern about life in their neighbourhood, with a focus on what needs to happen to make improvements. 

The results of these consultations will be fed into the appropriate agencies and authorities to develop relevant responses.     At the end of the process it is hoped to have a plan that reflects the wishes and views of the majority of people who live in each ward. 

  

Click here to go to the Engage Dundee questionnaire (city wide) on the Dundee City Council website - this allows you to complete the questionnaire online.

A printable copy of the West End questionnaire is here for use with people who would prefer not to use online.    If you chose to print and complete this version, please either return it to the Mitchell Street Centre or leave at Blackness Library marked for the attention of the West End Communities Officer.   Many thanks!

Take Flight for the Blue Skies Festival

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

This Saturday - 13th August - 10am to 12 noon at the D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum in the Carnelley Building at the University of Dundee.

The D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum is opening on Saturday 13th August for an exciting Blue Skies event.

Create your own wings and take flight! For this fun, drop-in family workshop, we have all the materials you need to make wings, feathered headbands and other accessories.    Ever fancied winged shoes like Hermes?    Look no further!     You can bring your own accessories, toys or clothes, too!    Discover wings of all shapes, sizes and colours on display for your inspiration – just make sure you don’t fly too close to the sun!

No need to book – just come along at any point between 10 and 12. For more information, contact Hope Busák on h.busak@dundee.ac.uk or phone 381354.

Blue Skies, Dundee’s festival of kite-flying, stargazing and rainbow-chasing, returns to the city from Wednesday 10th to Sunday 14th August with another packed programme of activities in locations across the city.    From cloud-spotting to kite-making, this year’s programme brings together 15 partners in 11 venues around Dundee. 

Bus changes from 14th August - an update

As residents will be aware, I have now spoken with the Managing Director of Stagecoach East Scotland and met with the Managing Director of Xplore Dundee about the bus changes proposed for next Sunday - 14th August.

In particular, I have raised concerns about the lack of services covering the Scott Street/Glenagnes Road/Peddie Street areas and also the detrimental affects of re-routing Service 5 off part of Perth Road west of Glamis Road and the removal of Stagecoach Service 77 and reduction and re-routing of their Service 16.

With thanks to Suzy Scott of dundeebuses.info, she has published a full document of all the changes that is available here.    This is really useful as it lists the changes across the whole city and covering all bus providers.

If any resident wishes to speak with me about the changes, do please give me a call on 459378 or e-mail buschanges@frasermacpherson.org.uk.

Campaign to end second class TV services for thousands of Dundonians

The Courier, Evening Telegraph and Wave 102 recently highlighted my criticism of what I consider the ‘laissez faire and poor response’ I received from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) following my raising with the department the continuing short-changing of thousands of Dundee TV viewers who have a second rate level of TV services since the digital TV switch over in Tayside in 2010.

I have long been critical of government handling of the conversion to digital which has meant that all people whose TV reception comes from a relay transmitter rather than a main regional transmitter cannot receive all Freeview TV channels and programmes but get a “Freeview Lite” service with a severely limited selection of channels. 

In the case of the Tay Bridge transmitter, its 35 000 viewers do not get access to all Freeview stations, including most residents of the West End and City Centre, together with many in other parts of southern Dundee, including much of Craigiebank and Broughty Ferry.   Additionally, many in the Charleston and Menzieshill areas of Dundee do not get all Freeview services because they are served by a relay transmitter at Menzieshill.   It also affects viewers in parts of north Fife.

Information on the anomaly can be evidenced at the Digital UK website at www.tinyurl.com/dundee-freeview - showing that people who get their TV signal from the main Angus transmitter get 108 channels available + 15 HD channels;   those served by the relay Tay Bridge transmitter get only 20 channels available + 6 HD channels.

It should be remembered that of those liable to meet a TV licence, everyone pays the same fee but TV viewers face two classes of service depending where they live and what transmitter serves their area and I view that as completely unfair.

The sell-off of the no longer used analogue bandwidth after the digital switch-over had the potential to raise billions for government and many feel the limited Freeview services for all served by relay transmitters has simply maximised the government’s financial windfall from the sale of the bandwidth.

I have to say I am deeply unimpressed by the department’s ‘do nothing’ response which completely fails to address the issue.    

As many constituents have contacted me about the DCMS response, I thought it would be useful if I reproduce the response from the department in full :

“Thank you for your email of 26 May, and further email of 22 June, to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), about Freeview channels. I am replying as a member of the DCMS Ministerial Support Team.

It is unfortunately the case that some Freeview viewers receive fewer channels than viewers in other areas. This is because Freeview (terrestrial TV) services in the UK are broadcast from a network of 80 primary transmitter masts. These masts are generally tall structures which operate at high power levels so as to provide coverage to as many viewers as possible and 90 per cent of UK viewers are in areas covered by signals from a primary mast. However, these signals are not available in all areas, often due to factors such as distance from the transmitter or to the nature of the local terrain.

In order to extend terrestrial TV coverage to such areas, between the 1970s and the 1990s, broadcasters progressively built an extensive network of smaller analogue relay transmitters which provided fill-in signal coverage where possible which increased the total availability of terrestrial signals to around 98.5 per cent of the UK population. There are now around 1,100 of these relay transmitters in the UK.

Relay transmitters do not broadcast as many channels as the primary transmitters. This is because digital television, unlike analogue television, is transmitted in groups of channels known as multiplexes of which there are currently six. Three of these multiplexes are known as the ‘public service broadcaster’ multiplexes and carry the digital equivalents of the old analogue channels (BBC 1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5), and around 11 other standard definition channels. The public service broadcaster multiplexes also include four high definition channels which can be received by viewers with Freeview HD compatible equipment.

At the time of digital switchover, in keeping with the Government’s requirement that the former analogue channels should be as widely available in digital form as they were in analogue, Ofcom required broadcasters to upgrade all their relays as well as the primary transmitters to carry the public service multiplexes. This ensures that these core services continue to be available to at least 98.5 per cent of the UK population.

The other three multiplexes are known as the commercial multiplexes, and are operated by the transmission company Arqiva and SDN Ltd (a subsidiary of ITV plc). The commercial multiplexes have been broadcast from the UK’s 80 primary transmitters for some years. However, because the commercial multiplexes do not carry any of the old analogue channels, the decision about whether to upgrade relays as well as the primary transmitters was a commercial one for the multiplex operators. Ofcom cannot require the operators to upgrade further transmitters to carry the commercial multiplexes and while the commercial operators were given the opportunity to add further transmitters to their networks at the time of switchover, they have chosen not to do so.

It is also worth mentioning that there are insufficient ‘spare’ transmission frequencies available to allow all relays to be upgraded to carry the commercial multiplexes, although the main constraint is that of poor commercial viability.

In practice this means that viewers who use a relay transmitter are able to receive up to 20 Freeview TV channels, including all of the channels they were able to receive before switchover and all of the BBC’s licence-fee funded terrestrial TV services, as well as a selection of HD channels which can be received on Freeview HD equipment. Those viewing from primary transmitters are able to receive more than 40 TV channels.

As the coverage and range of available Freeview channels varies by area, viewers were advised to contact Digital UK before digital switchover took place for information on channel availability at specific locations from the time of switchover. Digital UK can also provide information on alternative reception platforms for viewers who wish to receive a wider range of channels. Alternative reception options include the non-subscription satellite services operated by Freesat (www.freesat.co.uk) and freesat from Sky (www.sky.com/shop/freesat). Digital UK can be contacted on 08456 50 50 50, or via www.digitaluk.co.uk.”

In my view, the government should be using its influence to compel the TV operators to make their output available on an equal basis for all TV viewers and its inaction on the issue is deeply regrettable.   I will continue to campaign for better coverage of all Freeview channels.

Weekly Road Report - West End Ward

DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT

REPORT FOR WEST END WARD WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 8 AUGUST 2016

Riverside Drive – closed overnight (8.00pm – 6.00am) [from Sunday 7 August] for 5 nights for road resurfacing works.

Scottish Water Clatto East mains renewal – Perth Road (Hawkhill to Nethergate) - closed eastbound for 3 weeks.

Glamis Road (at Glamis Terrace) – temporary traffic lights for one week for gas main repair.

Scottish Water Clatto East City Road DMA (Mains Renewal) – Annfield Road, Annfield Street, Blackness Road (Glenagnes Road to Bellfield Street), Blyth Street, Benvie Road, Fyffe Street, Fleuchar Street, City Road (Baxter Street and Rosefield Street, Logie Street and Tullideph Road), Peddie Street (Rosefield Street and Ure Street).  Week starting Monday 8 August Annfield Road, Annfield Street and Peddie Street closed.

City Road Allotments Open Day

Later this morning, I attended the City Road Allotments Open Day and had the pleasure of officially opening the allotment's refurbished trailer, which will be a boon for allotment members.     The acquisition of the trailer has been possible thanks to a real effort by the allotment community.

The Open Day was a really great and well-attended event and I was delighted to attend.  It is great to see our local allotments in such good heart!

A few photos from today :

The refurbished trailer - looking fab!

Official ribbon cutting ceremony!

Great stalls at the Open Day!

With Erika and her fabulous raspberry jam!

Riverside Nature Park litter pick #takepridedundee

This morning, I took part in a litter pick of Riverside Nature Park, along with other volunteers - a couple of photos below.

It was a fine, warm morning - but extremely windy!

Many thanks to the volunteer staff from Tesco Riverside for taking part.

With some of today's volunteers

Great views from Riverside Nature Park

Community Cafe Week at Logie & St John's (Cross) Church

Scottish Water further proposed works - minor change

Further to my update yesterday about the works planned for Blackness/City Road/Lochee Road and surrounding areas, at the drop-in event at the Mitchell Street Centre on Thursday, I discussed the timetable and, in particular, trying to minimise inconvenience to residents as far as possible - including the schools at the West End campus - St Joseph's Primary, Victoria Park Primary and Balgay Hill Nursery.

I now give below a further update from Scottish Water that makes a minor change :

As the next phase of a £5 million project to upgrade water mains and secure the supply and high quality of drinking water in Dundee begins this month, Scottish Water is advising of a minor change to the work schedule.

Work is currently on-going and on schedule in the Perth Road area of the city and the next stage, which is due to begin next week, will see work in the Blackness Road/City Road and Lochee Road areas.

This phase of the upgrade is expected to take 10-12 weeks in total and there will be traffic management measures in place on a rolling programme.

Following a successful information event in the city and after consultation with customers, Scottish Water are adjusting the timetable for some of the work to minimise any inconvenience to pupils starting back at local schools in the Blackness Road area.

Work in and around this area will now be done at a more convenient time, which will be confirmed at a later date.

Changes to the schedule mean as it stands now, work starts on August 9th in the following streets:

• Abbotsford Street

• Annfield Street - Road Closure

• Blackness Street – Road Closure

• Ure Street – Road Closure

The work due to start on this date which would see the closure of Peddie Street in this phase has been put back to minimise disruption as schools return.

The rolling programme of work was due to move on to the Blackness Road area with an estimated start date of 15th August, but to minimise disruption to pupils returning to school most of this work will be put back to a later date. 

Work scheduled for Blackness Road and Rosefield Street will now go ahead at a later date, to be confirmed, but the work estimated to start on this date that sees the closure of Rosefield Place will still go ahead as planned.

The rolling programme of works then continues as scheduled on the following streets with an estimated date of 22nd August:

• City Road/Milnbank Road – Road Closure with diversions in place.

The work also moves on to the Lochee Road section with this split into four phases to minimise disruption in the area, with an estimated start date of 22nd August:

• Logie Street: Loons Road to City Road. South bound closure between these two junctions with associated lane width restrictions at Logie Street/Loons Road signalised junction. Rankine Street closed north bound. Associated side street closure of Muirton Road. Diversions will be in place.

• Lochee Road: City Road to Tullideph Road. Two way traffic flow maintained. No road closure required. The Lochee Road rolling section has an estimated start date of 29th August.

• Lochee Road: Tullideph Road to Dudhope Terrace. Closed south bound between these two junctions. Associated side street closures of Cleghorn Street and Rankine Street. Associated lane width restrictions at Lochee Road/Rankine Street junction. Diversions will be in place.

• Lochee Road: Dudhope Terrace to Park Street. Closed south bound between these two junctions. Associated side street closure of Lower Pleasance. Associated lane width restriction at Lochee Road/Polepark Road signalised junction. Diversions will be in place.

The next stage of rolling work in this phase then takes place in the following streets with an estimated start date of 12th September:

• St Mary's Place 

• Mitchell Street

• Benvie Road – Road Closure

• Fyffe Street – Road Closure/Parking Restrictions

• Eassons Angle

Local access will be maintained wherever possible on affected roads.

The exact timing of each part of the work will be confirmed as the rolling progresses, and updates will be posted on the Scottish Water website.

Work on Peddie Street, Blackness Road and Rosefield Street will now go ahead at a more convenient date and notice of the work will be given to customers well in advance.

I also give below the City Council's Temporary Traffic Order covering these works :

Dundee City Council proposes to make an Order under Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 for the purpose of facilitating Scottish Water mains renewal works.  The Order is expected to be in force for 22 weeks from 8 August 2016.  Its maximum duration in terms of the Act is eighteen months.

The effect of the Order is to prohibit temporarily all vehicular traffic in (1) Annfield Road between Annfield Row and Blackness Road, (2) Annfield Street, (3) Blackness Road between Glenagnes Road and Forest Park Road, (4) Blyth Street between City Road and Fleuchar Street, (5) Benvie Road between Cleghorn Street and Fyffe Street, (6) Fyffe Street between Eassons Angle and Lawrence Street, (7) Fleuchar Street between Eassons Angle and Blyth Street, (8) City Road between Baxter Street and Rosefield Street, (9) City Road between Logie Street and Tullideph Road, (10) Peddie Street between Corso Street and Blackness Road, (11) Rosefield Street and (12) Ure Street.

The closures are planned to run in the advertised order but this may be subject to change and more than one road may be closed at any one time.  The one-way order relating to Blackness Street will be rescinded during that phase of the works.

Alternative routes will be available via (1) Annfield Road/Peddie Street/Blackness Road, (2) Peddie Street/Blackness Road/Annfield Road, (3) Bellfield Street/Hawkhill/Blackness Avenue, (4) Milnbank Road/Eassons Angle/Fleuchar Street, (5) Fyffe Street/Polepark Road/Lochee Road/Cleghorn Street, (6) Eassons Angle/Milnbank Road/Polepark Road, (7) Eassons Angle/Milnbank Road/City Road/Blyth Street, (8) Rosefield Street/Blackness Road/Glenagnes Road/Scott Street, (9) Tullideph Road/Lochee Road/Logie Street, (10) Corso Street/Blackness Avenue/Seymour Street, (11) Blackness Road/Glenagnes Road/Scott Street/City Road and (12) Bellfield Street/Ure Street.

If you have any queries please contact the Network Management Team on 433082.

Temporary Traffic Order - Riverside Drive

From Dundee 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 carriageway resurfacing works being carried out HEREBY PROHIBIT the driving of any vehicle in a WESTERLY DIRECTION in Riverside Drive (between Discovery Point and Tesco Service entrance ), Dundee.

This notice comes into effect on  Sunday 7th August 2016 for 5 evenings only.

All works (road closure) will take place between the hours of 8.00 pm and 06.00 am only. 

Pedestrian thoroughfare will be maintained.

Alternative routes for westbound vehicles are available via South Union Street/South Marketgait/Nethergate/Perth Road/Riverside Avenue/Riverside Drive.

For further information contact 433168.

Director of City Development

Dundee City Council

Scottish Water information event at Mitchell Street Centre

Yesterday, I attended a Scottish Water information event at the Mitchell Street Centre about the next phase of the water mains upgrade in the West End, which will follow on from the current work in Perth Road/Nethergate, which is thankfully thus far on schedule, meaning a return to roads normality in the Nethergate and Perth Road shopping area later this month.

The well-attended event updated residents on this next stage, which is due to begin next week, and will see work in the Blackness Road/City Road and Lochee Road areas.

This phase of the upgrade is expected to take 10-12 weeks in total and there will be traffic management measures in place on a rolling programme.

Work starts on 9th August, in the following streets initially:

• Abbotsford Street

• Peddie Street - Road Closure

• Annfield Street - Road Closure

• Blackness Street – Road Closure

• Ure Street – Road Closure

The rolling programme then moves onto the following streets with an estimated start date of 15th August:

• Blackness Road: closed in both directions between Glenagnes Road and Bellfield Street. Diversions will be in place.

• Rosefield Place - Road Closure

• Rosefield Street - Road Closure

The rolling programme of works then continues on the following streets with an estimated date of 22nd August:

• City Road/Milnbank Road – Road Closure with diversions in place.

The work also moves on to the Lochee Road section with this split into four phases to minimise disruption in the area, with an estimated start date of 22nd August:

• Logie Street: Loons Road to City Road. South bound closure between these two junctions with associated lane width restrictions at Logie Street/Loons Road signalised junction. Rankine Street closed north bound. Associated side street closure of Muirton Road. Diversions will be in place.

• Lochee Road: City Road to Tullideph Road. Two way traffic flow maintained. No road closure required. The Lochee Road rolling section has an estimated start date of 29th August.

• Lochee Road: Tullideph Road to Dudhope Terrace. Closed south bound between these two junctions. Associated side street closures of Cleghorn Street and Rankine Street. Associated lane width restrictions at Lochee Road/Rankine Street junction. Diversions will be in place.

• Lochee Road: Dudhope Terrace to Park Street. Closed south bound between these two junctions. Associated side street closure of Lower Pleasance. Associated lane width restriction at Lochee Road/Polepark Road signalised junction. Diversions will be in place.

The final stage of work in this phase then takes place in the following streets with an estimated start date of 12th September:

• St Mary's Place 

• Mitchell Street

• Benvie Road – Road Closure

• Fyffe Street – Road Closure/Parking Restrictions

• Eassons Angle

The exact timing of each part of the work will be confirmed as the rolling progresses, and updates will be posted on the Scottish Water website.

Local access will be maintained wherever possible on affected roads.

The work involves the lining and flushing of existing water mains, as well as some open cut mains replacement – so some temporary disruption to water supply will occur and all customers affected will be given notice of any disruption in advance.

A couple of photos from yesterday's drop-in event are below :