It’s game, set and match for the derelict Broughty Ferry tennis pavilion, which is to be demolished after years of vandalism.
The brick building in Rugby Terrace has been a magnet for graffiti, fire-raising and anti-social behaviour in recent years.
Now councillors have agreed to raze the pavilion.
It had been hoped it could be given a new lease of life by a business or charity but Dundee City Council says the building has deteriorated beyond reasonable repair.
Members of the council’s city development committee agreed this week there is no future for the pavilion and approved its demolition.
However, the council have said they are working to find a suitable use for the site in the future.
Vandalism
The pavilion, once the site of tennis courts and a putting green, has been the target of vandals for several years now.
Obscene graffiti was daubed over the pavilion in September, featuring sexual images and profanities.
In April, a bin was set alight at the Esplanade pavilion, sparking calls for something to be done to prevent anti-social behaviour at the site.
Efforts to find someone to take it over for possibly a community use have failed and the pavilion has fallen further into a state of disrepair.
Broughty Ferry councillor Craig Duncan said: “I have raised the matter of this long-abandoned pavilion with the council and indeed police several times in recent years as it had become something of a magnet for graffiti, under-age drinking and other anti-social behaviour.
“Ideally I would have liked to have seen the building repurposed and I passed on to the council several expressions of interest I had received from charities and commercial organisations hoping to turn the facility into anything from a tearoom to a storage facility.”
Mr Duncan added: “The council eventually advised me that the structural condition of the building had deteriorated to such an extent that it was beyond economic restoration and demolition was inevitable.”
What does the future hold?
It is not yet known what will become of the site after the demolition, due to start later this month and be completed in January.
Mr Duncan added: “Although not the outcome I would have liked I am keen the demolition proceeds as quickly as possible to curtail the anti-social behaviour and I asked that nearby residents be very much involved in deciding the future of the site.”
Mr Duncan has previously called on Dundee City Council to let out the pavilion or demolish it completely to prevent it becoming an anti-social behaviour hotspot.
There had been tentative enquiries from local groups and businesses interested in taking over the pavilion but none came to fruition.
Waste of public money
“Every time another act of vandalism is carried out it is a further waste of public money,” Mr Duncan said.
“The fire brigade had to be called out this year and the council has had to pay on numerous occasions for graffiti to be cleaned off.
“Local residents were also concerned about the anti-social behaviour at the pavilion.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “We are working to promote appropriate uses for the area.”
