Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Roads must be improved’
A COMMUNITY group says more needs to be done to improve the roads in and out of a new development if more housing is to be built.
Iceni Projects has submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) to planning bosses at Dundee City Council for a residential development to be built on land to the south of the former Royal Liff Hospital.
This proposal for Dykes of Gray Road could be the latest in a number of residential developments as part of the Western Gateway project to create a new housing community on the edge of Dundee.
But Bill Batchelor, from the Western Gateway Community group, says more needs to be done to improve the infrastructure around the new development. He said: “Our main objection is the roads have no infrastructure and there is no public transport for the short term, maybe even the long term.
“We are trying to get a path to link pedestrians and cyclists up to Dundee, and the main road is not lit either, so there is no way of getting out of the community unless you have a car. That is fine but it is not exactly green or good for people getting in and out to their work.
“We need investment in infrastructure from schooling all the way through to lighting and buses.
“But more houses could improve our position because there would be even more demand for public transport in Western Gateway.”
Currently planning permission for around 700 homes has been approved by the local authority, including creating a new village centre with a cafe, nursery, village hall, retail and office spaces and a new recreation ground.
There are some 300 homes in the area currently occupied, despite Dundee City Council imposing a restriction on developers saying no more than 270 homes could be built until essential infrastructure is in place.
Adam McConaghy, from Iceni Projects, said the new plans are still at a very early stage, but that it would be in keeping with the other Western Gateway developments.
He said: “The proposal is for a residential development and we have not got numbers finalised yet, but it will be in keeping with the density of the surrounding area.
“We will be consulting with the local public and other key stakeholders early next year and that will most likely be through a website and an online Q&A session with the project team where members of the public can email in and ask questions.
“Typically something like this will take a few years before ground is broken as we need to do a public consultation, a planning application and then finalise details with the council beforehand.”
Due to the pandemic the usual public exhibition is not allowed, so developers will hold an online consultation with an interactive exhibition in January and February.