Archive for The Ferry

Ferry’s Role in City’s Tourism Action Plan Welcomed

May 3, 2013 Council Group, The Ferry No comments

Ferry Ward Councillor Kevin Cordell has welcomed a new Tourism Action Plan for Dundee which recognises the unique role that Broughty Ferry plays within the city.

Agreed at a meeting of the Council’s City Development Committee [on Monday 22 April] the plan has been developed to increase Council activity in relation to visitors/tourists and maximise the opportunities which the tourist sector now offers the city as the new season gets under way.

Kevin Cordell said:  “Dundee has some key tourist locations which could be packaged as visitor attractions in their own right – examples of this would include Broughty Ferry – a tourist ‘hot-spot’.

“These are exciting times for the city and I particularly welcome the references to Broughty Ferry’s key role.

“The V&A and waterfront developments will bring a lot more people to our city and Broughty Ferry is almost unique in the range of attractions and services it offers in its own right but which will also complement existing attractions.

“Dundee City Council will continue to work with partners throughout the city and various community groups in Broughty Ferry will be consulted on any strategy that emerges.

“For example, community groups such as Broughty Ferry Community Council, Broughty Ferry Traders Association, Broughty Ferry Development Trust and Broughty in Bloom as just some of those organisations whose insight will be invaluable.

“Broughty Ferry is well served by many local volunteer group whose input is very welcome and I was delighted to hear from Dundee City Council’s Director of Economic Development that their voices would be heard.

I look forward to working alongside these and other community groups as the plan develops.”

Ferry Ward Councillor Welcomes Gardening Leave Initiative

May 3, 2013 Council Group, The Ferry No comments

Ferry Ward Councillor Kevin Cordell has welcomed the news that Dundee City Council is actively assisting the Veteran’s Charity “Gardening Leave” in their attempts to secure a walled garden in order to develop horticultural therapy.

The move, agreed at a recent meeting of the Council’s City Development Committee, will directly benefit a number of veterans in Dundee, already identified by the charity.

Councillor Cordell, who is also Dundee City Council’s Highland Forces & Cadet Association representative, said:

“There are many veterans resident in my own Ferry ward, whether in the veterans’ housing in the Barnhill area or at Rosendael and I know the great value they put on their own gardens and the sense of well being and tranquillity they can bring.

Many of Gardening Leave’s clients may suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the privacy and security which walled or enclosed gardens provide is an ideal environment for this type of therapy.”

Gardening Leave require that the site is an enclosed garden which is easily accessible by public transport. The site should be private but with access to more public areas, enabling interaction with the wider community. There is also a need for an indoor area with catering facilities for project participants.

Cllr Cordell continued:

“I believe there may be areas of Broughty Ferry which satisfies many of the criteria that Gardening Leave has stipulated and I have been in discussions with the relevant officers and I hope a solution can be found to assist this most worthy of causes.”

Dundee City Council‘s support for the Armed Forces Community Covenant which was approved in March 2012 commits the Council to promote the take-up of services such as access to leisure facilities and health & social care services, including mental health support, to armed forces personnel and veterans.

For many the transition back to civilian life can be a difficult one and charity initiatives such as this one can be of great benefit.

Councillors Seeking Malmaison Meeting on Hilton Employees’ Transfer

October 23, 2012 Council Group, Maryfield, The Ferry No comments

Two SNP councillors in Dundee have asked for a meeting with the man behind the development of the Malmaison to explore the possibility that he might be able to take on Hilton employees when the Hilton closes.

 

Councillor Kevin Cordell, who represents The Ferry and Maryfield Councillor Craig Melville have both written to Malmaison Developer Michael Carolan seeking a meeting and suggesting that there may be an opportunity for the new prestigious hotel to acquire “a pre-existing and highly-trained workforce.”

 

Almost 90 staff at the long-established Hilton Hotel on Dundee’s waterfront may either lose their jobs or be redeployed after March 31 next year.

 

Speaking about their move, Councillor Cordell said: “As someone with constituents affected by the potential closure of the Hilton at the end of March next year, it seemed to me that as Malmaison is set to open in July next year, there could be an opportunity here for the new venture to acquire trained and skilled staff.”

 

“The Dundee Malmaison will be the 13th in the prestigious hotel chain and is already being considered as potentially one of the most successful in the chain. For many years, the Hilton was one of the city’s premier hotels and it would be great if many of the workforce who face redundancy could be redeployed locally so that their local knowledge and skills would remain in the city.

 

“Obviously, some may be redeployed within the Hilton group and others may have alternative plans but it would be good to see if there could be some mutually-beneficial arrangement worked out between the Hilton and Malmaison that would benefit Dundee.”

 

Commenting, Councillor Craig Melville said: “The Malmaison will be open to the public in July next year, ideally timed to take full advantage of the huge upswing in the city’s fortunes that will come with the building of the V&A.

 

“The Hilton which has served the city well for decades will be closing just weeks earlier. It would make sense to have some staff continuity and perhaps Malmaison will see an opportunity of acquiring highly-trained staff members from the Hilton. These are issues we would hope to discuss with Mr Carolan if we have an opportunity to speak to him.”

 

Yes Scotland at Broughty Gala

July 2, 2012 Shona Robison MSP, Stewart Hosie MP, The Ferry No comments

Tom Thomson assists people to sign the Yes Declaration

Yes Scotland had a gazebo at the Broughty Gala on Sunday 1st July and campaigners handed out free ‘Yes’ and saltire cupcakes and saltire rock as well as information about the campaign to win the independence referendum.

Volunteers manned the stall from 1pm until the arrival of heavy rain at 4pm and got an enthusiastic response from the public with hundreds signing the ‘Yes Declaration’.

Local Yes organiser Andrew Scott said: “This was one of the busiest Broughty Galas for years and we had more than twenty volunteers over the afternoon helping us to speak to the public.

“Local politicians including both Ferry SNP Councillors Kevin Cordell and Ken Guild, local MSP Shona Robison and local MP Stewart Hosie also did stints at the stall.

“As well as giving out information, badges, flags and free pens we were giving away lovely homebaking in the shape of ‘Yes’ cupcakes and saltire rock — and this went down a treat.

“It was a successful event for us and we will be visiting other community events over the summer.”

New Ferry Bus Services Welcomed

May 25, 2012 Council Group, The Ferry No comments

Newly-elected SNP Councillor for The Ferry Ward, Kevin Cordell has welcomed the introduction of an additional later bus running on the 206 (Broughty Ferry Loop) service and also welcomed the new late-night weekend service, the ‘Night Owl 5N’ that will link Dundee and Broughty Ferry.

 

Councillor Cordell said: “The 206 service was introduced last summer, in conjunction with other new community focussed services in the west of the city and it is entirely funded by the Council’s Bus Route Development Grant.

 

“The No. 206 has been working well and has been well received by locals linking, as it does, the shopping centres and residential areas of Broughty Ferry with the expanded Gardyne Road College Campus.

 

“The background to this was that Broughty Ferry and Panmurefield Village lost the No.13 /14 bus service and locals fought a hard campaign to have a service returned to Panmurefield, in particular.

 

“That’s why the Council saw the need to fund new daytime services in Broughty Ferry and why we introduced the 206.

 

“This additional bus, the NXD, which is subject to tender, will run from 3pm from Dobbies to Broughty and West Ferry and this later service will be quite convenient, allowing people to make longer shopping trips.

 

“The new weekend service, the Night Owl 5N, which will begin in the early hours of 26th May will link Barnhill and Broughty Ferry with Dundee City Centre and should prove popular with people going to clubs, pubs or the casinos. The buses run from just after 12.30am until around 3.30am and operate a range of saver fares.

 

“This new service is based on the popular 5 route. We are always looking at ways to improve and develop the bus services and would encourage local folk to use these new services as often as possible.”

 

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