Dykes of Gray - A daft decision

(Jimmy Black is Depute Convener of the Development Management Committee. This is a very long blog ... please stick with it!)

£150 million pounds of investment, 100% local labour and 595 brand new houses. And we turned it down!
To explain, the City Council has been promoting the Western Gateway (behind the Hilton/Swallow Hotel at Dykes of Gray) for many years as a prime location for quality housebuilding. Developers have come and gone, and the credit crunch certainly didn't help.
Then at this week's Development Management Committe we had a proposal from Springfield Properties to invest a huge amount of money, and their confidence, in our city.
Grilled at the committee, they gave good answers to all the questions thrown at them, and it was clear that a considerable amount of preparatory work had been done by the developer and the Council's Planning Department. There were to be shops and a community hall, a village green, a playpark and a football pitch. Roads had already been improved (by the City Council) and the developer would sort out the circle at the Swallow to avoid congestion on the main road into Dundee.
There was capacity for children at Ardler Primary and Baldragon Academy. Baldragon will of course be in a brand new building before long, and Ardler Primary is right in the heart of a very successful and attractive community. There would be a school bus.
And what did we do? We turned down one half of the development. Then one councillor left and another arrived, that changed the voting, and we gave permission for the other half ... the bit without the shops, the hall and the village green.
It's hard to fathom why Bailie Borthwick proposed refusal of both parts of this development, and equally hard to fathom why so many councillors supported him. His reasoning seeemed to be that there was no school planned for the early stages of this development although this might be a possibility later. But building a school to sit empty while the development rolls out makes no sense at all when Dundee is full of schools with plenty of room.
Did some councillors feel that people would decline to buy houses at Dykes of Gray if this was in the Ardler/Baldragon catchment areas? Possibly, but I guess the developer had assessed that risk and still wanted to go ahead. For the record, I have every confidence in those two schools.
Was it the developer? Well Springfield is currently Scottish House Builder of the year for the second year running. They have won the Best Employer and Best Employee Homes for Scotland Awards. They have been Highly Commended in the Apprentice Employer of the Year Award. And in October this year they reported an unprecedented level of sales. So it wasn't the developer.
Springfield recently withdrew from a 200 home project in Rothiemurchus to concentrate on other opportunities in Scotland, one of which was presumably Dykes of Gray. They will be regretting that now. I can only hope they appeal this daftest of daft decisions, win, and build their attractive new village. But I wouldn't blame them if they took their investment elsewhere.

So how do we take decisions at Development Management? All 29 councillors sit on this committee. They must weigh up the evidence before them and take their decision on the night. These decisions are not made in secret by political groups (like many others). At Development Management, councillors must use their own brains.
So they get a carefully prepared and usually fairly long report from the Head of Planning which sets out the facts, the legislation and makes a recommendation.
The report is on paper in black and white, rendering many of the drawings difficult to read. Online versions are available but there are no facilities for councillors to use screens or computers at their desks. At one point during the Dykes of Gray debate the developer was reduced to holding up a small piece of paper and pointing at it to show the councillors where a football pitch was located.
We meet in the City Chambers. The acoustics are dreadful. At one point in the Dykes of Gray debate a councillor had to ask a deputation to speak up as he could not hear her. Anyone chatting to neighbours tends to blot out the speaker as indeed happened at that meeting.
Traditionally developers have been discouraged from"lobbying" councillors, although this is perfectly legal if done correctly. That means it is unusual for us to receive colour presentations which might make it easier for us to see what the developer wants to do. Equally, we seldom receive photographs or other material from deputations in advance of the meeting. Sometimes we get a copy of more detailed information from objectors placed in council lounges which we might notice and look at. We can of course go into the voluminous documents posted online as part of the planning applications. But will all 29 councillors ever have time to look at every one of these? I suspect not.
It's as though emails, pdf files and digital projectors had never been invented.
Members of the public, and developers, can ask to address the Committee for seven minutes to outline their support or opposition to planning applications. Councillors genuinely do listen to the arguments and sometimes change their minds at the meeting, often on the basis of what deputations tell them. That's a good thing, but in the absence of a really good understanding of what a development actually means, we can collectively make big mistakes. As we did over Dykes of Gray.
So what should happen? We should meet in a room where we can hear what's going on. We should  have access to computer terminals. There should be a big screen so that the public can see what's happening. That room is unlikely to be the City Chambers. Who cares? It's the decision which is important, not the venue.
We should positively invite developers and objectors to send us well presented material which will give us time to think about the decisions we are making. That would complement the thorough and professional reports which we receive from planning officers.
And we should consider reducing the size of the Committee to a smaller group of Councillors who would specialise in Development Management and have time to do the job properly. After all, the future shape of the city, millions of pounds of investment and thousands of construction jobs are at stake. It's all just too much of a lottery just now. Time to change.

Plain Language

Insulation for Hilltown homes

Clear communications can help a lot. At last night's council we agreed to insulate houses in several areas, including thirty in the Hilltown Terrace area. We have learned from experience that insulating houses does not simply mean sticking cladding on the outside. Drainpipes have to be moved, cables and ventilators shifted ... in one recent job coal cellars had to be blocked up and covered over. Piles of cladding will appear in gardens.

I urged the Housing Department to ensure that residents are told exactly what we propose to do, and not just at a public meeting. We need to give people clear information they can keep so they can track each stage of the job. As we discovered in Woodlands, failing to satisfy the reasonable but insistent demands of an unhappy owner occupier can use up valuable time and create angst. No-one wants angst!

Rosebank Primary pupils go to the Morgan?

We also need to be clear about changes in our schools. Pupils from Rosebank Primary go to Harris Academy just now, but this could change. There is  a proposal to close Menzieshill High and move pupils to the Harris. Rosebank children would go to the Morgan instead.

I think people living east of the Hilltown will be happier with this than those living to the west. When Harris returns to its new building in the Perth Road it will be a long trip for pupils who could walk to the Morgan in a few minutes. But people living on the west side may not see things this way.

So at last night's Council I asked the Education Department if they would be issuing information in plain language which would help answers the questions of parents about the future education of their children. Here's just some of what I would want to know ...

* when would the change happen?

* is there enough room in the Morgan?

* is the Morgan as good as the Harris?

* does it offer the same subject choice?

* how would my child get there?

* would kids already at Harris stay at Harris?

* would my family be split between schools?

* could I send my child to the Harris anyway? If so, how?

* are kids from outside Dundee taking places at the Harris?

* what is the Morgan's policy on bullying?

* what other options are there instead of doing this?

* is this just about saving money?

* are there educational benefits?

As it happens the Morgan is a very good school in an excellent building. This is not just about saving money, although money would be saved by closing a half empty secondary. I'll leave the Education Department to answer the rest of the questions and I am very confident that they can do so. But it is really important that parents ask the questions and contribute their ideas. Nothing is decided yet.

Fleming Trust ...

Scotland's most efficient landlord, arguably, is Dundee's Fleming Trust. It has no debt, houses which are better than the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, low rent arrears, and generally happy tenants. The Fleming Trust is made up of Dundee's 29 councillors, and the Trust has agreed to upgrade the sheltered housing lounge in Hindmarsh Gardens. This gave me an opportunity to praise the work of the housing managers who run the Trust. Yes, councillors are there to ask questions and point things out, but we should also recognise good work, and say so.

Mark Henderson Centre

Signpost International has left the Hilltown to make way for a new school and community centre, and I am sorry to see them go. The council has helped this international development charity to find a new home in Whitfield, and I think they will make a big contribution there.

The Council last night agreed to knock down their Hilltown home, the Mark Henderson Centre, and I had mixed feelings about this. It was a real community hall where everything happened from Burns Suppers to martial arts to poetry and song to alcohol rehabilitation to legal advice clinics. We still have Grey Lodge, the MaxWell Centre and other facilities and there is a new centre coming, but I'll miss the Mark Henderson Centre. I wish Signpost well in their new base.

Parking outside schools

Long debate in tonight's Council on parents parking dangerously at schools throughout Dundee. They park on the hatchings, on double yellows, on pavements ... in spite of our best efforts, they carry on. A Broughty Ferry councillor wanted the Chief Exec to chair a working group to sort out the problems at Forthill ... fine, but there are problems everywhere so the Council decided to create a group for the whole town.

My hope is that the group will help us design the new schools in Coldside and Menzieshill in such a way that children and cars are kept apart.

This is an emotive issue. It's not just that drivers are too selfish or lazy to get out of their cars. We're talking here about parents who naturally want to watch their child get safely into school. The problem is that their behaviour puts everyone's child at risk, including their own.

New homes in Mill o Mains

21st February saw the opening of the first new homes in Mill o Mains, replacing the old, cold homes which had come to the end of their useful lives. Housing Minister Keith Brown came to see the brand new houses which are bristling with solar panels and sun pipes and heavily insulated. They will be very warm, comfortable homes.
A partnership between Home Scotland and Dundee City Council produced a Masterplan; there was considerable consultation with the local tenants; the Scottish government provided funding to supplement Home Scotland's investment; and the end result is excellent.
Looming above are the tall blocks of flats which will soon disappear to make way for new homes. Mill O' Mains is turning into an attractive suburban village on the edge of the city, and the tenants and owners will have warm, energy efficient homes built to a very high standard.
Home Scotland is part of the very large Home Group, a not for profit housing association based south of the border whose Chief Executive is from Dundee. Although I am a big supporter of small community based housing associations, the big ones like Home and Sanctuary have their advantages too. They have been determined to ensure that local people have had their say in the design of the scheme, and they respond well to some very vocal criticism from people on points of detail as the work to build the scheme goes on.
There is still a long way to go before the transformation of Mill O'Mains is complete, but it is absolutely clear that Home Scotland and the City council are on the right track.
I was delighted to see that local residents have been charting the change by taking photographs of the various stages of demolition and construction. It's local history in the making and the next generations will be fascinated to see how their homes were created.

Changing duties ...

The Council has now agreed to put parks, bins, property maintenance and trading standards into one, Environment Department, and that means a welcome change in my job description. With one department looking after the city, we can expect much greater efficiency and lower costs.

So from the end of the month I will simply be Convener of Housing, and Cllr Bob Duncan will be Convener of Environment. There's plenty to do in Housing, so I won't be twiddling my thumbs. But I'll miss the other departments which have been doing some great work. In the last few days we've announced a graffiti blitz to build on what we've already done all over the city. The vandals keep defacing our buildings, but we're not far behind them and we keep cleaning off their "tags".

We've opened the Riverside Nature Park, which is a brand new park for the city created out of the old Riverside Coup. It's a place to go and see wildlife and take in some spectacular views.

Today along with Shona Robison and Joe Fitzpatrick we launched Child Safety Week, urging people to "Take a Second Look" at their home to ensure unnecessary hazards are removed. And on Friday it's the Solar Cities Conference, which is all about keeping the planet cool and fighting fuel poverty.

I'll also miss the excellent officers in Environmental Services, Waste Management and Dundee Contract Services who have signed up to the doctrine of 'continuous improvement', and as a result are continuously improving the efficiency of their sections.

So I wish Cllr Duncan the best of luck in his new role and I'll concentrate on Housing. I'm confident the officers there will have good news to announce before very long.

Let's talk

Would you ask your neighbour to turn the music down? Late night, someone you don't  know very well, maybe some alcohol involved ... but you can't sleep for the racket and you're getting increasingly angry ...
What happens next? You go up and bang the door and get a mouthful of abuse and no result. You call the police and suddenly your neighbour is your worst enemy. Sometimes a polite request actually works and the neighbour turns down the noise. But however you do it, it's a potential confrontation and these things can get out of hand.
By the time the Council's anti social team gets involved, things have already gone just a wee bit too far. Threats of eviction or ASBOs may stop the noise, but resentment simmers. Instead of a community of neighbours who help each other, your close or your back lane becomes hostile territory. You may fear assault or a verbal tongue lashing. It spoils your life.
So the team is going to try a new tactic. Mediation is not new, but many people involved in noisy neighbour disputes do not understand what it is and do not imagine it could ever work. I think people also fear having to climb down from the entrenched positions they have adopted ... just like politicians. And there's the basic fear factor of confronting someone who may be violent or abusive. As things stand, if people won't go for mediation, the anti social behaviour team won't spend too much time trying to persuade them.
But for a pilot period, the ASB team will spend time with the people on both sides of a noise complaint, explain mediation to them and make it clear that they must at least try this sensible way of resolving a dispute before expecting the council to start swinging legal sledgehammers.
The service is free and the mediators are very skilled at finding common ground, then bringing people together to discuss the problem in a civilised way.
Will it work? I'm sure it will, in many cases, but not in every case. For example, where there is a real threat of violence the most sensible thing to do is bring in the police. But if we can get people talking, we're far more likely to solve problems successfully - and permanently - and probably save ourselves, the police and the courts endless hours of time on disputes which neighbours could resolve themselves, under the guidance of experienced mediators.

What Housing Benefit cuts mean for Dundee

The Westminster Government has announced some big cuts in Housing Benefit, but the detail is complex and I don't think people realise what's about to hit them. So I've tried to show what the cuts actually mean for people in Dundee.

Council and housing association tenants

If you live in a house with an extra bedroom, your benefit will be cut as from April 2013. If you are over pension age, this doesn't apply. Disabled people will be allowed an extra bedroom for a carer, or equipment storage.

Private Tenants

Private tenants will take some of the biggest hits. The cuts mean you'll only get Housing Benefit (or Local Housing Allowance) for the cheapest rents. Until April the going weekly rate in Dundee of Housing Benefit for a three bedroomed flat is £150. After April this changes to £126. The change starts right away for new tenants, and existing tenants get nine months grace before their benefit is cut by £24 a week. How much you lose depends on how big your flat is.

People aged 25 - 35 who have their own private tenancies are in for a shock as from April 2012. They will only be paid enough Housing Benefit to cover the cost of a room in a shared flat. So someone claiming £80.77 now will be cut down to £54.23 a week. That's a benefit cut of more than £100 a month.

Changes that affect everyone

If you have adult relatives living in your house, they are expected to pay towards the rent. This means you get less Housing Benefit. Let's say you have a son who is over 18 and working 40 hours on the minimum wage. He's supposed to contribute £38.20 towards the rent as things stand. From April, he'll have to find another £10.25 a week.

If you're on Jobseekers Allowance, as from 2013 you'll lose 10% of your Housing benefit after twelve months. In Dundee, on average, that's £7.11 per week.

What does it all mean?
If you're on benefit it will be harder to find a private let you can afford. If you do, it is likely to be of poorer quality because landlords who charge lower rents have less money to invest. You may end up on the Council waiting list.

If you are under 35 and single, you won't get a private flat of your own. You can go for a council flat, but the waiting lists are long now. They'll be longer when the cuts come in.

If you're on your own in a two bedroom flat, you won't get the full rent paid and you'll have to dip into your Income Support or move house.

Some people will be unable to take the hit and will lose their homes ... and they'll end up in expensive Council temporary accommodation. Until the Tories and Lib Dems get round to cutting the benefit for that, of course.

Now is the time to lobby your MP about these cuts and try and get them stopped. Why should the poorest pay for the bankers' mistakes? This would not be happening in an independent Scotland ...

(Information from the Scottish Government report - Housing Benefit Changes: Scottish Impact Assessment - and from Dundee City council's HB telephone information line)