Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Residents stage protest on street over land plans
RESIDENTS of a Dundee street are staging a public protest over plans to redevelop land near their homes.
A series of signs have been put up on a grassed area in Gotterstone Drive, off Arbroath Road, telling a developer: “No building here”, “This land is public open space” and “Save our land”.
The site is the subject of plans for a detached home by John Brady, who is believed to have formerly lived on the street.
A group of 12 residents have put up the signs on the land — which they claim has been used by the public for 40 years — and are holding weekly meetings to discuss the issue.
James Smith, 84, a retired salesman, who has lived across from the land for 45 years, said: “It’s ridiculous — imagine trying to build a house there. It would absolutely ruin the view.”
Former factory worker Elizabeth Wright, 83, who lives in Gotterstone Drive with husband John, is also against the plans. She said: “This land has always used by everyone on the street since I’ve been here.
“The children have all used it for playing ootball and things like that. The council always kept good care of it. We’ve always looked after it ourselves.
“We had an amazing Jubilee party on it in 2012. Then when you hear that a house is going to be built here you just can’t picture it. It will look ridiculous and be an absolute eyesore.”
Childminder Laura Black, 57, agreed. She said: “I think it’s a disgrace. I didn’t buy my house to look on to another house in the middle of land we thought we all owned between us.
“You just need to look at the traffic here in the mornings with so many kids going to school to know that it would be an absolute disaster.
“In the past we were told it was public land. We’re going to keep going with this, we won’t give up.
“We’re obviously all worried that it could bring the value of our houses down.
“It’s very upsetting and we are all very angry. We are holding weekly meetings to discuss things.”
Planning permission in principle for a home on the site was originally rejected by the council but overturned on appeal by the Scottish Government, which said it met conditions set out in the local development plan and insisted that “the required design standards can be accommodated within the plot”.
The reporter who handled the case confirmed the land was privately-owned and said that more detailed plans for the site would be scrutinised when they came forward. Planning agents for Mr Brady had not responded to a request for comment at the time of going to press.