Council boss plans to hear group’s fears over parking

A COMMUNITY chief is to meet transport bosses over fears Dundee does not have enough parking to meet future demand.

Bill Newcombe, chairman of City Quay and Harbour Community Council, has arranged a meeting with Neil Gellatly, the city council’s head of transport, to discuss his concerns.

He said that although there was enough provision in the city centre for motorists currently, the addition of new hotels, retail units and apartments at the Waterfront would put a strain on resources.

Mr Newcombe said: “We’re concerned about the parking situation.

“If you’re going to have all these developments you need to have a strategy for what happens if, or when, that parking is all used up.”

Mr Newcombe is hoping the council will provide reassurances over its future plans for city centre parking.

He says several Waterfront sites have already been given planning approval for new buildings without parking provision.

He said: “If you are trying to sell apartments which people are not able to park near, that’s a problem — but if you get the numbers, I can’t see there being enough car parks for them nearby.

“We might want people to park their cars two or three miles away and walk to them but that isn’t realistic.

“There must be a strategy for this. If we keep approving sites without parking, that sets a precedent.

“There would be an outcry if we then started telling other sites that they have to provide parking when others don’t.

“It’s not a problem now — but it will be if they haven’t got a plan.”

City Quay parking has also been an area of concern, especially during public events at the Waterfront.

Councillor Lynne Short, city development convener, said she would also be attending next week’s meeting.

She said: “This meeting has come along at a good time.

“We’re still working away on the Local Development Plan and parking is one of the things we are looking at as part of that.

“I have an eye on it because I know there will be an increase in footfall, as does the planning team.

“We know from the tourism stats last week people are staying for three nights on average — and they’ve got to get here somehow.”