Sir, Was Bob Servant correct? Should all dogs be banned from Dawson Park in Broughty Ferry?
I would agree this is an unreasonable suggestion, however, something has to be done. As one involved in youth and adult sports groups which use Dawson Park on a regular basis I am absolutely disgusted at the amount of dog excrement left behind by irresponsible dog owners.
Today one of our coaches collected nine bags of excrement from the area towards the east of the park near the cricket pitch.
We regularly remind our coaches and players to collect any rubbish at the end of training sessions and games.
A plastic juice bottle left behind might not degrade through time and look unsightly, but it doesn’t carry dangerous toxins or leave your shoes, car mat, carpet or child’s clothing marked and smelling vile.
With all the publicity recently with the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow and the promotion of activities to keep children active, this situation is simply unacceptable. They would be safer at home playing on a games console!
We pay a substantial amount of money to Dundee City Council each year to use these facilities and every week without fail we have to spend time collecting dog mess.
In fact, if anyone passing by the area notices marker cones in random positions around the park, these are the ones covering up dog waste.
There are several dog waste bins at each entrance to the park and I do thank responsible dog owners for cleaning up their animal’s mess. As usual it is a minority of irresponsible owners who are giving them all a bad name.
I look forward to Dundee City Council proposing a solution to this unhygienic and unsightly mess.
Finbarr McCarthy. Ferry Athletic Youth Football Club, Broughty Ferry.
Wouldn’t have happened
Sir, I refer to Tesco’s withdrawal from their plans for Glenrothes town centre. I am long retired, but, as a chartered valuation surveyor I was deeply involved in investigation of shop values throughout Fife.
When the Kirkcaldy Mercat and Postings developments were proposed, I addressed a meeting of Kirkcaldy businessmen and expressed my opinion that neither development would ever pay for itself and that the only result would be irreparable damage to Kirkcaldy High Street, which, before those changes, was economically the most prosperous shopping venue in Scotland after the four historic cities.
Now even Perth, Stirling, Dumfries and Inverness have long outstripped Kirkcaldy, all as a result of Kirkcaldy’s development errors and loss of the interest which its unique High Street attracted and which it will not regain, no matter how much blockwork and pedestrianisation goes on.
With regard to the Glenrothes situation it would appear that the lessons of Kirkcaldy may have been learned by Tesco, who, let us remember, closed their Mercat store. I do not believe there ever was a likelihood of Tesco establishing a large supermarket in Glenrothes town centre. There is no economic case for such a venture.
The kind of demand which any such store would aim to satisfy is already fully catered for north of the Kingdom Centre at Lidl, Asda, Aldi, Morrison’s and now B and M. Tesco’s recent public withdrawal from its proposals is merely an acknowledgement of what it must have known from the outset.
So, must we settle, then, for the slow degeneration of the Kingdom Centre, with the bare site of what was new Glenrothes House?
James Thomson. 14 Vardon Drive, Glenrothes.
Good reasons to vote “yes”
Sir, Chancellor Osborne made some interesting revelations in his autumn statement. If you are 16 you will need to wait until you’re 70 for your retirement pension; if you are in your forties, you will now wait till you’re 68. He also predicted it will be 2019/20 before the UK is in the black!
These seem to me to be utterly compelling reasons for a referendum “yes” vote.
Joseph G Miller. 44 Gardeners Street, Dunfermline.
An industrial wasteland
Sir, The proposed erection of 13 wind turbines in the woodland on the slopes of Craigvinean near Dunkeld is the last straw.
Do people no longer care for the natural environment? Are we all prepared to lose this beautiful area forever? Will tourists be happy to stand on Telford’s Bridge and gaze at motionless turbines dwarfing the trees?
Man’s greed appears to be totally unaware of our natural environment. The destruction this will cause to these wonderful woodlands is unthinkable.
Sad to say, Scotland is turning into an industrial wasteland. It must stop!
F M Douglas. East Huntingtower, by Perth.
Can’t afford it
Sir, While having every sympathy with the plight of Syrian refugees I fail to see why some folk are saying European nations are not doing enough to help. As Europe is in dire straits financially it cannot be expected to absorb the Syrian problem. Surely it would be more appropriate if oil-rich Arab states took up the task?
George Aimer. 82 Kinghorne Road, Dundee.
How did they know?
Sir, Delighted as I was to see Andy Murray win the BBC Sports Personality of The Year, my pleasure was somewhat diminished when I saw him being presented with thetrophy in America.
The cynic in me has to ask, given that the public were being asked to cast their vote right up to the last minute, how did the BBC know to have the trophy flown out to America beforehand?
There are only three possible scenarios. 1 The result was predetermined. 2 It was obvious through the number of votes already cast before the programme was due to be aired that Andy was going to win, in which case the BBC could be accused of accepting votes under false pretences. 3 The acceptance speech was pre-recorded in the knowledge Andy could possibly be the winner.
Whichever is the truth, I think the viewing public deserve an explanation from the Beeb otherwise many shall now look upon the event as being a charade and be put off voting in the future.
Robert T Smith. 30 Braeside Terrace, Aberdeen.
Anything but accomplished
Sir, David Cameron’s “mission accomplished” statement with regard to the war in Afghanistan was an unfortunate phrase to use.
The mission in Afghanistan has changed so many times it has become a farce. Firstly it was about getting Bin Laden then it was about bringing in democracy. Other reasons have been given fighting opium production, building infrastructure projects, building an education system for Afghan children, women’s rights and fighting terrorism
By any measurable standard the Afghan war has been a dismal failure. The government of Hamid Karzai is weak and ineffective and the cost of the war to the West has been about $1 trillion.
It was Bin Laden’s strategy to draw NATO into a prolonged unwinnable war (just as he did with the Soviets) so it would lead to an economic collapse.
A better strategy for dealing with Bin Laden would have been sending in a small force to arrest him, but this was never really a possibility as a trial would have exposed the links between Bin Laden, the CIA and the feudal plutocracy in Saudi Arabia.
Alan Hinnrichs. 2 Gillespie Terrace, Dundee.
Democracy in action
Sir, I hope I can be forgiven the wry smile crossing my face when I read the letter sent in by M Linacre and printed on December 16. It would appear she has no sense of irony.
So the council “must learn what democracy means” do they? My understanding is that the original decision of Perth & Kinross Council re the future of the City Hall was based on the principles of democracy.
A few years ago the citizens of Perth & Kinross were given the opportunity to make their views known in a consultation exercise and the consensus among those who bothered to take part was that the frontage could be retained but the rest of the building should be removed.
Several times in recent weeks I have argued the case for the council decision based on the consultation. It’s never a hard job to win the argument against the proponents of saving the City Hall. I merely ask them why they cannot accept the majority view of those consulted.
Invariably I am met with blank looks and no reply.
My contention is that if anyone did participate and the answer loud and clear was not in accord with their own views then I’m afraid they just have to accept it. That’s what is called democracy.
If anyone now arguing for retaining the building did not bother to make their views known then I would suggest it’s perhaps time to sit down and be quiet.
J Robertson. 14 Needless Road, Perth.
It should work both ways
Sir, While I support cycling as an environmentally friendly and cheap way of getting from A to B, the number of cyclists, and adult cyclists at that, who use the pavement rather than the road really concerns me.
This activity is dangerous, irresponsible and inconsiderate to pedestrians. The other day I and two other people were nearly knocked off our feet in Perth by some cyclist going at high speed along the pavements.
There needs to be a law passed to protect pedestrians and ban cyclists from the pavements. After all, they always insist on their rights being respected by other road users. It works both ways.
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.