Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
No cash for pavilion
Blow to plans to build new ‘heart of the community’
COMMUNITY leaders in Mill o’ Mains have said they are “very disappointed” that there is no council funding to replace a pavilion gutted by fire last summer.
Following the blaze that destroyed the Mill o’ Mains Community Pavilion in late July, a steering group was set up to see what could be done to replace the facility that catered for many community groups.
However, Dundee City Council has now revealed there is no money to replace the building.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “The council has held a number of meetings with representatives from the pavilion group and local elected members to discuss community facilities within Mill o’ Mains.
“As has been discussed at these meetings, there is no funding available for rebuilding the pavilion.
“The council continues to work with the pavilion group and the community to ensure temporary arrangements are in place and longer term possibilities are still under discussion.”
Jim Malone, from Mill o’ Mains Tenants and Residents Association said: “The pavilion was at the heart of the community.
“It catered seven days a week for everyone in the community from the youngest to the oldest. It is very disappointing to learn that the council can’t find the money to replace the centre.
“We are not looking for the level of investment to provide something similar to what was lost, but for enough to provide a real community hub again.”
North East councillor Gregor Murray said that all the ward councillors are involved in a group looking at what can be done for the community in Mill o’Mains.
The councillor said: “This was split into what could be done in the very short term, the medium term, and the long term.
“Since the short and medium term periods have been passed, with some changes agreed to some existing assets, it just leaves us to consider the long-term solution for the community.
“It was agreed that we would let the communities team carry out some consultation with the local residents to see what sort of things would be wanted in the community, and how best we could provide these.” Ourvoice PAGE 16