Concerns raised over water sports plan at City Quay

A DUNDEE property director believes a proposed council-backed water sports project will lead to “ugliness and disaster” in its current form.

John Gibson, director of Offspring Properties Limited, fears some of the details involved in the proposals to build a wakeboarding course at City Quay will lead to chronic traffic congestion.

Mr Gibson, who owns nine commercial units in the area, also feels that installing portable cabins to act as temporary accommodation for the course is a “total non-starter”.

A planning application on behalf of Dundee City Council and East Lothianbased firm FoxLake was recently made public.

The proposal would allow members of the public to travel across the surface of the dock while attached to a boat.

A rope-themed adventure course across the water is also planned.

Mr Gibson, whose company has i nvested more than £1 million in City Quay, insists he has voiced his concerns to the city council, but has had no response.

He said:“I’ve raised these concerns over and over. This would be a great thing for Dundee, but it has got to be done in the right place.

“The project is a social enterprise, will be great for kids and should be supported in every way, but putting portable cabins in as temporary accommodation is a non-starter. All I see is ugliness and disaster if they put them there (close to the Apex Hotel).”

Mr Gibson has also voiced concerns over parking and traffic congestion in the City Quay area.

A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “We value the involvement of community councils, other neighbourhood representative structures, tenants groups and members of the public in all aspects of the planning f unctions we perform.”