By Graham Brown

ANGUS COUNCILLORS said yesterday they were prepared to put their anger aside to extend the olive branch across the boundary with Dundee in the row over multi-million pound spending plans for the city’s waterfront.

At a meeting in Forfar, Angus strategic policy committee members curbed the fury which erupted in the wake of the city council’s decision to throw all £8.5 million of a cities growth funding package at the waterfront regeneration scheme, and urged their urban neighbours to atone for their previous failure to consult on the plans by giving a fresh listening ear to the councils surrounding them.

The controlled reaction came as councillors homologated a report from Angus chief executive David Sawers, which pulled few punches in the assessment of Dundee’s proposals for the use of the city region’s share of the fund.

Dundee has chosen to plough the entire £8.5m slice into the waterfront scheme, a move Mr Sawers expressed concern over due to the lack of an economic impact assessment and one which he hinted could create a white elephant that may have a negative impact on other parts of the city region.

The lack of consultation with neighbouring authorities and absence of transportation infrastructure considerations in Dundee’s vision were also criticised by Mr Sawers.

Mr Sawers said, “Projects funded by the cities growth fund should be of regional significance, that is they should benefit the entire city region.

“It was recognised that some projects may be designed specifically to benefit outlying areas, while other projects would focus on the city itself. In response to the second funding round, Dundee City Council prepared a draft investment plan for the period 2006-08.

“The investment plan confirmed their intention to utilise all of the funding secured in support of the central waterfront project.

“The investment plan makes little reference to the wider city region and the impact the waterfront project will have on this area. The results of the initial draft of the outline strategic economic impact statement are heavily qualified by the authors and primarily record the number of jobs which would arise from the given level of development.

“Until the detailed property market appraisal and economic impact assessment have been completed, it is premature to reach a firm view on the effects of the central waterfront project on the wider city region.

“Accordingly, concern remains that the scale of investment, both public and private, may exceed the markets ability and therefore the full benefits may not arise, or that needed investment in other parts of the city region may suffer as a consequence.”

Whilst acknowledging the co-operative work going on to address public transport access, the chief executive said the physical road-rail integration was “not ideal”.

“Low cost air travel has been a major growth area, and although Dundee city airport continues to play an important role, its restricted capacity means that it has not attracted the budget airline operators.

“In the context of a city region vision for the next 20-30 years the issue of air travel should be given more prominence.

“Opportunities to address the issue exist outwith the city, and again serve to demonstrate the importance of the inter-relationships between the city and surrounding areas.”

He added, “The city vision document includes reference to the need for a review of local authority boundaries. This was a source of major concern to the neighbouring community planning partnerships when the document was first prepared, and it remains so.

“It is considered unnecessary for such statements to be included in the document, and is counterproductive to partnership working with adjoining councils.”

Mr Sawers had suggested that the Dundee city region vision should even be ripped up and re-started, and he told members last night that there had at least been recognition from the city council of a need to review the document.

“The process of preparing a new document could be beneficial in securing improved partnership working between the community planning partnerships.

“It would also go some way to meeting the Scottish Executive’s requirement that the investment plan should demonstrate details of long-term arrangements put in place to improve partnership working at city regional level, and to facilitate continued engagement and collaboration with neighbouring local authorities and community planning partnerships.

“The central waterfront project is recognised as being an attractive urban regeneration project which has the potential to improve the image of the city.

“Until the economic impact analysis is available it is not possible to quantify the project’s effect on the city region.

“Therefore, notwithstanding the project’s clear physical and land use benefits, it is not possible, at this time, to fully endorse it as the key project for the city region.”

Sidlaws councillor Frank Ellis said that despite the fate of the money being sealed, communication could still be the key to future benefits for people in and outwith the city.

He said, “I felt angry and slighted about this.

“I think that the Executive meant this to be a true partnership in the city regions and it really is unfortunate that there wasn’t an opportunity taken by the city council to embrace what the Executive tried to do.

“If Dundee had got into discussion it may have been the case that we would have been able to support the waterfront, but unfortunately the question was not asked of us, and that’s why I felt slighted.

“Rather than be accused of whingeing from the sidelines, maybe we should be pro-active in asking our chief executive to write to our partners to engage in this process and get into positive dialogue for the benefit of the city of Dundee and the surrounding areas of Perth and Kinross, north east Fife and Angus, to put out the hand of friendship and assistance to the city of Dundee.”

Brechin councillor Joy Mowatt said accepting the “hand of friendship would be a show of good faith” on the part of Dundee.

“If they do not, that should be when we would ask if the cities vision is a cynical ploy to pour massive sums of money into Dundee to the slight of Angus.

“It is actually very sad that this decision has been taken without consultation with us, and I suspect without very much consultation with the citizens of Dundee.

“They weren’t keen on the dualling (of the A92) and they don’t want a transport interchange—is the city council of Dundee trying to put a barrier round, do they want to keep the rest of us out?”

Angus Council leader Rob Murray added, “I again express my concern and disappointment at the way Dundee City Council has handled this, as they did earlier in the plans, without any consultation with their neighbours.

“At that time I asked for, and I am still asking for, the business case for the waterfront. There have been no figures or any information available up to now.”

Dundee City councillor Jill Shimi said she was disappointed at the continuing negative reaction and insisted the waterfront would benefit the wider city region rather than only Dundee, writes Brian Allison, local government reporter.

“This is a rehash of the mean-spirited and carping comments that have already been made,” she said.

“We are working hard on a development that will bring significant numbers of jobs, many of which will be filled by people from outside Dundee, and high levels of investment to the wider area.”

Mrs Shimi said independent estimates indicated that the waterfront project would create more than 6700 jobs—and over half of them would go to people living outside of Dundee.