Residents of City Quay in Dundee who have lived with unfinished roads and street lighting for more than three years, could be set to benefit from council action.
Sections of Gourlay Yard and South Victoria Dock were left incomplete after Edinburgh builders FM City Quay Dundee Limited went into administration in February 2009.
In compliance with the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 the firm were given three years from the start of their contract in 2007 to ensure City Quay roads were completed.
That deadline passed in August and Dundee City Council has begun discussions with Manchester administrator Zolfo Cooper, with a view to accessing the company’s £209,000 security deposit.
If the funds are released it will allow the local authority to step in and complete the works using their own roads department.
Councillor Craig Melville took the matter to the council’s legal department after angry residents contacted him calling for action. He said, “It was extremely unfortunate that FM went into administration but a lot of people paid a lot of money for these properties. At the very least they deserve to receive what they paid for.
“After discussions with the legal and roads departments, I can confirm that the city council has written to Zolfo Cooper to request that the works are completed. If the administrator refuses to…complete the works an option open to the council is to complete it themselves and call up the security bond to recoup the money.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that but I can assure my constituents I will keep pursuing matters until the area is brought up to an acceptable standard. It looks as though this saga is finally coming to an end and I would urge people to contact me should they require any further clarification.”
Gourlay Yard requires final surfacing to roads and footways and completion of street lighting. South Victoria Dock Road needs full construction, including street lighting and drainage of the turning area at the east end of the completed main road.
Before FM went into administration, it had failed to satisfy the council that they had control of, or owned, the land on which the road was to be built.
A Zolfo Cooper spokesman said, “Since being appointed administrators…we have dealt with a number of complex issues as we attempt to secure the successful completion of the City Quay site. We continue to work towards this goal and are optimistic that the necessary agreements will shortly be in place to make this a reality.”
When any road is built by an agency other than a local authority, construction consent must be obtained and regulations state the project must be finished within three years. If that condition is breached, the security deposit can be accessed.