By April Mitchinson

MONEY THAT should have been spent on repairing and strengthening the retaining sea wall on Dundee’s Riverside Drive has been wasted on aesthetic modifications, it was claimed last night.

Some residents are concerned that 400 yards of the retaining wall, from the Tay Rail Bridge to the city centre, is dangerously weak as a result of structural erosion.

A constant assault by the Tay has caused stones to dislodge from large sections of the wall while elsewhere they are dangerously loose as the mortar gives way.

According to resident Eric Clyne it is only a matter of time before the damage to the wall reaches a critical point and it collapses—but he believes Dundee City Council has ignored the problem and has instead spent money on landscaping the Riverside Drive walkway.

“The retaining sea wall is in a very poor state of repair,” Mr Clyne said.

“When the tide is high and the wind is coming from the east waves send water gushing violently through the holes in the wall in dozens of places causing further damage.

“I’m sure civil engineers will agree that the rate of damage to the wall increases each time it is assaulted by waves—ultimately a critical point will be reached and the wall will collapse.

“Considerable sums of money were spent upon landscaping the walkway of Riverside Drive with wavy grass strips and other cosmetic additions—how could Dundee City Council decide to spend money on these decorative features whilst the sea wall is in need of urgent repair?”

Mr Clyne is so concerned about the situation that he has written a letter of complaint to the council’s planning and transportation committee demanding answers.

“In some places the wall is in such a poor state that it may soon collapse—what reason does the council offer for neglecting this wall for so long?” Mr Clyne asked.

“Also, when was the wall last inspected and is there a maintenance programme?”

Councillor Fraser Macpherson, convener of planning and transport, said he was aware of the problem and planned to raise the matter with officers at last night’s council committee.

“I have contacted officers in planning and transport and written to Mr Clyne—I will also see the city engineers on Monday night where I will raise the issue,” he said.

“Obviously we take very seriously any concerns about the safety of the retaining sea wall and these concerns must be investigated immediately.”

Mr Macpherson said concerns about the wall had been raised in the past and that the council had acted swiftly to repair the damage on those occasions.

A council spokeswoman said, “We take any concerns of this nature seriously and the council will look into this matter.”