Dundee tenement demolition decision sparks concern
April 10 2018
In alighting on their unanimous decision to demolish the council accepted representations from six private landlords rather than consulting tenants directly, a decision former SNP councillor Jimmy Black believes skewed the results by bringing a majority in favour of full demolition.
Black argues that this report was ‘seriously misleading’ owing to the number of non-residents consulted and the fact that £40k worth of non-essential roof repairs were included in a list of required works, artificially boosting the financial case for clearance.
Speaking to The Courier Black said: “Under Freedom of Information I asked for all the relevant engineers’ reports. In 2015 engineers inspected the roofs and reported ‘no defects were observed other than a few missing roof slates’.
“The engineers also reported leaking downpipes and gutters, with damage to stonework, and damp walls close to the leaks. These are all matters which are the responsibility of the council. Nonetheless the engineers described the three blocks as ‘generally in a fair condition’.”
In order for the demolition to be reviewed a serving councillor must step forward and lodge a formal motion calling for a review.
9 Comments
#1 Posted by Auntie Nairn on 10 Apr 2018 at 13:11 PM
Yawn..... former councillor can't let go of the fact he's not a councillor any more - another non-story
#2 Posted by Yer Maw on 10 Apr 2018 at 14:25 PM
Absolutely no idea why the former Councillors political party is mentioned in this article? Whats that got to do with the price of bread???
#3 Posted by Swinging Hammer on 11 Apr 2018 at 10:40 AM
Get them knocked down! Should do the ones across the street while they are at it. In fact, the council housing in the background could do with some attention from a hammer too.
#4 Posted by SG on 11 Apr 2018 at 12:40 PM
Do the city fathers never learn!!! We demolished the Overgate, Wellgate, Victoria Arch and the old Dundee West Railway Station plus a host of other tenement buildings and deeply regret that. Stop this demolition in it's tracks and invest in our heritage.
#5 Posted by Pablo on 11 Apr 2018 at 14:06 PM
Handsome buildings that'll no doubt be replaced by ugly ones.
#6 Posted by HWD on 11 Apr 2018 at 16:33 PM
#5 Handsome? Poorly pointed facade with little decoration or design qualities of any merit. Do the poor infill areas and one remaining shut shop really scream 'handsome'?
#7 Posted by Cateran on 11 Apr 2018 at 22:43 PM
Dundee tenements tend not to have too much decoration. They're fairly plain, understated - like pan bread - but that's just what makes Dundee. The replacements, going by previous examples, will be the usual formulaic, lightweight blandness and decrepit within forty years.
#8 Posted by Islands of sanity on 13 Apr 2018 at 12:59 PM
#3 hasn’t a clue. The Council housing is the first public housing in Scotland under the 1919 Act and was laid out as a garden suburb. Housing had mod cons such as CH. Council should be preparing to celebrate the 100 th bash. As for tenements, they should be kept even if they are poorer quality than those opposite.
#9 Posted by Ollieman on 16 Apr 2018 at 17:16 PM
They may be tired looking but in an age when we should be attempting to reduce our impact on the planet, this should be a case of conservation / restoration. the simplicity of the sandstone facades show an elegance and character typical of Dundee, something unlikely to be satisfactorily replicated in a replacement building.
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