I attended The Courier’s High Street Summit and must pay tribute to the event.
Bringing together UK-leading expertise, the best local knowledge, city councillors, and the public to discuss how Dundee’s city centre can be regenerated is an excellent idea.
My professional respect goes to Lesley-Anne Kelly, head of data journalism at DC Thomson.
This is exactly what a vibrant newspaper should be doing. This is why quality local journalism is important.
I was most interested in the discussion of Dundee’s Low Emission Zone.
Every panel member stressed the importance of footfall.
Surely anything that picks and chooses who can come in, like banning some cars, reduces footfall? That’s irrefutable logic.
Summit panel member Ron Smith, managing director of Glamis Investments, a very impressive speaker, said he couldn’t understand why an LEZ is happening.
The front page of that day’s paper carried an interview with Martin Goodfellow, of Goodfellow & Steven, a firm established in Dundee in the 1890s. He said of the LEZ: “You’re using a sledgehammer to crack a nut”.
These are opinions from experts, and they are far from the only businesspeople with doubts about Dundee’s LEZ.
Don’t take my word for this, ask any city centre proprietor.
I am baffled the council is battering on when the business community – with, collectively, thousands of years of experience trading in this city – are saying: “let’s think about this”.
National politicians decide broad plans. Local politicians implement those plans according to local circumstances, using local knowledge as their tool.
This is what the city council should be doing: adapting the national aspiration for clean air into a solution tailored to Dundee.
But Dundee City Council isn’t doing that. We’re getting an LEZ that looks like it was drawn by a stranger with a street map.
It is the clamping on of ideology: put it round the inner ring road, that’s easy, that’s convenient, no thought needed.
Dundee businesses deserve focus in LEZ decisions
Businesses which depend on Dundee city centre’s success – which depends on local businesses – deserve closer focus on their needs.
How are we easing customers into specific areas? Do the arrangements on one street work for another street? Are we addressing individual problems faced by individual businesses?
And I reject lazy accusations of ignoring pollution problems.
No one wants a centre smogged by poisonous gases. But, equally, no one wants a doughnut city with a hole where the centre used to be.
A balance can be found with an up-to-date, innovative Dundee clean air policy designed for Dundee’s unique geography, serving Dundee people’s specific needs.
It’s not too late to change. Keynote speaker at the summit, Matt Colledge (an expert in city centre regeneration) pointed out some towns and cities have altered their plans.
I give the examples of Leeds, which paused its LEZ because it monitored air quality and realised the original plans needed a re-think. Liverpool also re-assessed.
Their councils are tailoring solutions to fit their cities.
Council leader John Alexander talks well for Dundee, I acknowledge his passion.
But this time he needs to listen.
Can you listen, John? Can you hear what Dundee is saying?
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