Tag Archive for Broughty 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.

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.”

Welcome For Ferryfields Postbox

March 21, 2012 Council Group No comments

Residents in the two adjacent Miller Homes housing developments of Strathyre Avenue and Clearwater Park in Broughty Ferry, known locally as Ferryfields, are to get a new pedestal post box probably within two months.


The estate, which has a strong local residents association, is campaigning for other community services as the number of occupied houses in the two parts of the estate approaches two hundred.


SNP Council Candidate Kevin Cordell welcomed the move, having initially alerted Royal Mail to the need for a new postbox while canvassing in the area. He was under the impression that the local residents association had already raised the matter with Royal Mail.


Kevin, who works for local MP Stewart Hosie, wrote to Royal Mail to check the timescale for this and got the surprising response from the Director of Scottish Affairs that they knew nothing about it.


Kevin said: “In fact, they were seeking further information from me on the source of my information!  So I passed on to them a formal request from Stewart Hosie for a postbox in the estate.”


Kevin was informed on 21st March that Royal Mail has written to the Roads and Planning Department of Dundee City Council informing them of their intention to locate a pedestal postbox on Linlathen Road.


In his reply, Ian McKay, Director of Scottish Affairs at Royal Mail commented: “Kevin, your efforts put this one on the radar. This matter had not been raised with us previously but following Mr Hosie’s request we… have managed to move earlier than I had hoped although there are still a few procedures to be gone through before it is in place.”

Welcome for More Trains Stopping at Broughty Ferry

September 14, 2011 Shona Robison MSP No comments

The announcement from ScotRail that more passsenger trains are to stop at Broughty Ferry, has been welcomed in the community.  Nine additional stops will be made at the station, added to the existing four daily stops.

Dundee City East MSP Shona Robison said: “I have long campaigned for improvements to local/regional services and to increase commuting possibilities and local train services at stations such as  Broughty Ferry where there are few trains stopping.

“I have been calling for improvements for years and most recently wrote to Transport Minister Keith Brown reminding him of the campaign so I am pleased with the additional trains.

Shona said: “I welcome the work done by the partnership of Tactran and First Scotland to bring about these additional trains at Broughty Ferry.

“I have always been convinced that if more trains stopped, more people would use them, and particularly for short local trips into the city centre.

“Getting more people to use trains more often is a good thing for the environment.”

MSP Renews Call for More Trains to Stop At Broughty Ferry

September 9, 2011 Shona Robison MSP No comments

Dundee City East MSP Shona Robison has issued a renewed call for more frequent rail services at Broughty Ferry.
 
The local MSP has been calling for more stopping trains on the route for a number of years. Now she has written to Transport Minister Keith Brown reminding him of the campaign and requesting an update of the status of the proposals.
 
Shona explained: “I have long campaigned for improvements to local/regional services and to increase commuting possibilities and local train services at stations such as  Broughty Ferry where there are few trains stopping.
 
 “TACTRANS allocated £120,000 to take forward detailed appraisal of proposal for a Tayside Estuary Rail Service (TERS) and entered discussions with Transport Scotland, First ScotRail and Network Rail about commissioning a study.
“I am very hopeful that the TERS proposals will be supported but in the meantime I have asked the Minister for an update on increasing the number of mainline trains stopping at Broughty Ferry.
“It had proved very difficult over a number of years to persuade national rail companies to have more trains stop at stations like Broughty Ferry but I hope that more recent discussions may prove to be more fruitful.
 
“I have always been convinced that if more trains stopped, more people would use them, and particularly for short local trips.

“I hope that the Tayside Estuary Rail Service proposals will  lead to much improved service levels at Broughty Ferry in the future.”

MP Raises Shellfish Exploitation With Environment Secretary

July 12, 2011 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie who passed on concerns over organised gangs methodically stripping the beaches of whelks in Monifieth and Broughty Ferry has raised with Culture Secretary Richard Lochhead an apparent gap in the law protecting the local habitat. 

Stewart Hosie said: “In the reply from the police, I have been reassured that this is not traditionally a big problem in Broughty Ferry but there has been more activity of this sort over the years in Monifieth and further east at Easthaven and Westhaven. 

“Constituents described a number of people seemingly in teams appearing on the beach and collecting shellfish methodically but the police tell me that while there has been the odd sighting of individuals there is not much evidence of large groups.

“However, I am concerned to learn from the Divisional Commander that there is no actual legislation in place to prevent commercial collection of shell fish from the beach and that the police are limited in what they can do in terms of enforcement.

“Monifieth Bay is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which is protected under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and is also part of the Firth of Tay & Eden Estuary Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA).

“SNH monitor their SSSIs by using a ‘consent’ and if whelks were to be harvested by the landowner (Dundee City Council or Crown Estate) they would have to apply to SNH for a consent. While members of the public are free to pick whelks for their own use, if it is for commercial use they should apply for a consent, but I understand that is rarely if ever done. 

“There is an organisation called ‘Coastwatch’ which is active in keeping an eye out for unusual activity on beaches and it liaises with the police on these issues and Scottish Natural Heritage have been made aware of the local situation too.

“Not only does commercial-scale whelk collection at low tide seem a risky operation for those involved, since it appears to be a grey area in terms of legislation, I have written to the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead bringing this to his attention. 

“I have asked him if he has any plans to look at legislation covering this area in order to give police more powers to protect sensitive habitant from commercial exploitation of this kind.”

MP Warning After Broughty Level Crossing Figures Shock

June 17, 2011 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Local MP Stewart Hosie has expressed concern after British Transport Police revealed that in the last two months 46 offences of people illegally ‘jumping’ the level crossing in Gray Street Broughty Ferry have been detected.

Of these 31 have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie said: “The crossing has consistently featured in the top ten of the most frequently abused crossings in Scotland for a number of years and we have all tried to promote safety awareness and underline the risks involved.

“Drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users should be aware of the dangers of level crossing misuse.

“The biggest single safety risk on Scotland’s railways is from people ignoring level crossings signals and this is a main cause of fatality.

“All crossings have red lights and klaxons to warn drivers to stop, yet some people still think it’s worth taking the risk of driving out in front of a train.

“A few years ago, after several near-miss incidents, I had a discussion with Ron McAulay, Network Rail Director Scotland at the crossing and safety awareness campaigns have been ongoing for a number of years so it is disappointing that there are still this number of incidents at Broughty Crossing

 “I’m glad to learn that a new – and free – downloadable application for satnat users has been developed by Network Rail and a major satnav company which might help to encourage safer driving and reduce the number of incidents.”

Plaque Commemorates 18th Century Incident in Broughty Ferry

May 2, 2011 Shona Robison MSP, Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Politicians Stewart Hosie and Shona Robison unveiled a plaque to an incident in 1745 when a fleeing Jacobite was helped across the Tay by two daughters of a Broughty Innkeeper.  The plaque, mounted on the wall of the Fisherman’s Tavern in Fort Street, commemorates the escape of Chevalier de Johnstone  an aide-de-camp to Lord George Murray who commanded the Jacobite forces at Culloden and who was fleeing from redcoat patrols searching from him in the aftermath of the battle.

Speaking at the event, Shona Robison explained: “At the heart of this incident are two courageous young women from Broughty Ferry aged 15 and 18 - Jenny and Mally Burn – daughters of a local Innkeeper, who had learned that the men of Broughty were not willing to take the risk to convey the Chevalier across the Tay.

“They took it upon themselves to do so and rowed him across to Fife from where he escaped to France. Later, he recounted the incident in his memoirs and said: ‘If it should be my lot to return to my native country, I shall certainly be at Broughty expressly to see them.’  This did not happen however and he died in exile although the incident usefully reminds us that women too were involved in those stirring times and this plaque is a fitting memorial to the courage of these young Broughty sisters.”

In unveiling the marble plaque, carved by Monikie man David McGovern, Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie paid tribute to all who had helped to organise the event and to Tracey and Tarig of the Fisherman’s Tavern for hosting the event and for agreeing to have the plaque mounted on their wall. He said that it should help to promote tourism and Broughty’s place in local history.

The picture shows Stewart and Shona unveiling the plaque in front of the crowd of onlookers.

MP Commends ‘Broughty – Busiest Lifeboat Station in Scotland’

January 27, 2010 Stewart Hosie MP No comments

Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie this week praised the Broughty Lifeboat crew as official figures revealed that Broughty was the busiest lifeboat station in Scotland, in a year where lifeboats launches were 6% up on the previous record year of 2005.

Stewart Hosie said: “It reflects great credit on the crew of the Broughty Lifeboat that they are the busiest station in Scotland, rescuing 44 people among 103 launches in the last year. 

“The two fulltime staff members and the retained volunteers who crew the lifeboats at Broughty deserve our thanks for their vigilance and their unstinting efforts on behalf of the public.

“I note that the national figures show that the number of persons being rescued from rocks or sandbanks after being cut off by the tide has more than doubled and that numbers of people being rescued from the sea has increased by 61%.

“While rescues of those who are professionally involved with maritime occupations such as fishermen or commercial mariners have remained stable, the number of leisure-based callouts has rocketed and this is probably because more people are using the river and the sea for leisure purposes.

“Friday is the RNLI’s annual fundraising Day and this year many in the Broughty area will be mindful of the recent 50th commemoration of the Mona Lifeboat Disaster and hopefully it will be a highly successful fundraising Day for the charity.”

 The RNLI which has been in existence for 186 years presently operates more than 230 lifeboats stations, and claims a total of more than 137,000 lives saved by lifeboat crews.

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