By Brian Smith and Andrew Argo

A “BOMBSHELL” document from the Scottish Executive’s trunk roads network management division (TRNMD), only made public yesterday, dominated the opening day of the public inquiry of the Dundee Local Plan.

The roads authority is recommending that no significant development around the western fringes of the city should be approved until a comprehensive integrated study into the impact on the A90 is completed.

Potential developments affected include the various supermarket proposals in the Myrekirk/South Road area of the city, plans for three “villages” and an industrial area—including the Swallow village, which already has planning approval—at the Western Gateway and the proposal from the Scottish Crop Research Institute for a science park and housing.

Commuters will easily recognise the observation in the submission to the inquiry that, “It is acknowledged by TRNMD and the relevant local authorities that the trunk road network and associated local road links on to the A90 trunk road are currently operating at, or over, capacity during peak periods.”

The trunk road bosses consider a “piecemeal” approach will not be effective, with “small, isolated and unco-ordinated improvements being taken forward by individual developers” likely to be disruptive to the operation of the local and trunk road network.

The submission continues, “It is unlikely that these forms of improvement undertaken on the existing trunk road infrastructure would bring any real benefits to its operational capacity.” At best it would only achieve “no net detriment” solutions.

The department has already commissioned consultants to review the cumulative traffic impact of the “numerous” development proposals in the Dundee west area on the A90 between the Longforgan and Dryburgh junctions.

Ultimately, the department hopes that this will lead to improvements which will allow major developments in the area to go ahead and create some spare traffic capacity. It offers to part- fund schemes with the remainder to be met by developers.

The inquiry was formally opened yesterday by Scottish Executive inquiry reporter Jill Moody at a joint session at Dundee Contemporary Arts.

The inquiry, which promises to be one of the biggest and longest running in the city for many years, is scheduled to run until June 4.

Evidence will be heard from Tuesdays to Thursdays, with some Fridays also included, often with two sessions per venue per day—conducted separately by Mrs Moody and her colleague, reporter Robert Maslin.

The first witness at the hearings was Tom McConnachie, secretary of the Menzieshill, Balgay, Benvie, Denhead of Gray and Gourdie Community Council, who appeared on behalf of 78 objectors to the proposals for the establishment of three villages at the Western Gateway.

While sharing recognition of the need to sustain Dundee’s vitality and vibrancy as a city, Mr McConnachie said the objectors differed from the city council’s vision of how this should be realised.

He argued that the greenfield land under threat from the developments is wrongly described as the “Western Gateway” to Dundee and said it is more correctly the most easterly part of the Carse of Gowrie and, as such, has a long agricultural tradition.

He said, “The area features mainly prime agricultural land and is home to several long-established rural communities as well as sites of archaeological significance, both at national and local level.

“The area being proposed for the residential part of the development is a flood plain, and several watercourses run through the area which are habitats for protected species.”

He pointed out that, despite the number and nature of the objections, the city council has not made a single alteration to its proposals for the Western Gateway so far in the planning process.

Mr McConnachie expressed fears for the future of the area if Dundee’s experience of similar developments—such as Panmurefield Village—is repeated.

He suggested that the developers of these proposals and the approval from the city council gave little sign of any understanding of what constitutes a village.

He concluded, “We do believe that what is being proposed for the Western Gateway will not benefit the majority of Dundonians and will do little to improve the lack of affordable housing, poor environmental conditions, high levels of unemployment, areas of social deprivation and poor educational attainment from which Dundee suffers.

“It is our view that the case for 1160 luxury houses on the periphery of Dundee’s Western Gateway has not been adequately demonstrated.”

The absence of provision for a local school early in the development and the rise in population would only exaggerate existing traffic problems, he said.

The first witness for Dundee City Council, planning official Gregor Hamilton, said the strategy for development in the area was established in the Dundee and Angus Structure Plan.

He said the proposals in the local plan complied with the structure plan and “are part of a balanced approach to housing and land release that encourages regeneration through the redevelopment of brownfield sites.”

The release of greenfield housing land is justified to provide choice in housing and tackle housing related migration out of the city.

Mr Hamilton insisted that the proposals can be implemented in a way that is “sensitive to the local environment and will result in well designed and attractive residential locations, while any necessary improvements to physical infrastructure can be made to allow the development to go ahead.”

The environment and central waterfront section of the Dundee Plan came under scrutiny at the session heard by Mrs Moody in the City Chambers.

Up for debate was policy 77 in which the council pledges to continue to support the principles of renewable energy and the operation of the Baldovie waste-to-energy plant.

The council will also monitor technological advancements in the renewable energy sector.

In the recent draft revision to national planning policy guideline 6, the Scottish Executive indicated that Scotland possesses a large part of the UK potential for producing energy from wind, hydro and biomass (crops and forestry) sources.

There are also opportunities for energy from waste and landfill gas developments and, in the longer term, wave power and offshore wind. Dundee considers it already makes a significant contribution in this respect, with the waste-to-energy plant at Baldovie which processes domestic refuse and reduces the requirement for landfill sites.

The council considers it is impractical for it to identify opportunities for further developments under guideline 6 at present, but it supports the principle and will consider further opportunities that may result from technological developments. There may, it considers, be opportunities associated with the Tay estuary for wind and tidal power.

Douglas McLaren, of the Tayside Foundation for the Conservation of Resources, said he had an objection relating to policy 77. He said waste energy should not be included because it is not a form of renewable energy and to include it is inconsistent with an EC directive.

He believed that Dundee should diversify more into tidal and waterflow sources of energy.

The official conceded that consideration will have to be given to phasing out Baldovie “somewhere around 2020.”

Mr McLaren argued that too much of the council’s environmental waste programme depended on the accidental inheritance of Baldovie.

He also expressed reservations that the long term contractual obligations to DERL inhibited the city council’s ability to look at other avenues for a sustainable renewable energy programme.