Residents in Dundee’s Mill o’ Mains area say they have been imprisoned in their homes by building work being carried out to regenerate their estate.
The £45 million revamp beside Hebrides Drive began last week and locals are already complaining of a lack of communication from Home Scotland, the housing association responsible for the venture, and contractors Rok.
Part of Hebrides Drive is “access only” due to work to install new drainage, meaning buses cannot get up the street.Meanwhile, fences have turned the estate into a maze, blocking off paths and boxing in homes.
Residents were sent letters stating the entrance to Gruinard Terrace would be closed from July 26 to allow work to commence, but they soon found Hebrides Drive was also blocked. It is understood the excavation has uncovered old gas and electric utilities, which has hindered progress.
The correspondence also said no bus stops would be changed and residents would be kept up to date by letter “every few weeks.”
Amanda Caird, of Hebrides Drive, said, “We received letters telling us work was starting in Gruinard Terrace but there was never any word of these road closures. As far as I’m aware, there wasn’t supposed to be utilities still in the ground. The site manager for Rok was apologetic when we approached him and he told us about what was going to happen.
“This is going to go on for quite some time and we don’t know where we’ll put our cars. There’s just a general lack of communication. The building work can only be for the good of the estate, but it would be nice to get some forewarning.”
The Courier understands excavation work on parkland beside Eriskay Drive has revealed landfill buried beneath the ground and locals have described it as “rancid” and “stinking.” Access to Mains of Fintry park has also been hindered, and children have been seen attempting to scale fences to get in.
The estate was developed in the early 1970s and is a mix of flats, maisonettes, semi-detached and terraced housing. A total of 11 cottages and 232 flats will be demolished and 308 houses with gardens and car parking will be built over the 21-hectare site. The new-look estate will be a mix of old and new properties.
The Mill o’ Mains Tenants and Residents Association is in the middle of re-elections and, while changes are under way, locals say there is no-one standing up for their interests.Cracked ribsMrs Dot Hughes (69) lives in Mull Terrace and has been affected by the road closure, which means buses cannot get up to the stops at Hebrides Drive. She said, “Rok are supposed to have a tenant liaison officer but she’s never been to my door.
“Two weeks ago, I had an accident, I fell and I’ve got three cracked ribs and stitches in my forehead. I’ve been having to pay for taxis to go out and get my shopping or my pension because I can’t catch the bus.
“I’ve got to walk all the way through the estate to the shops to catch a bus now, and I’ve got a stick. I ended up speaking to some of the men working on the site about the problem and they told me if I ever needed a lift to a bus stop I should just come and ask them.
“I’ve been in this housing estate since 1971 and I’m not the only one who is affected by this. There are other pensioners living in the area and they are boxed into their homes like prisoners.”
Mrs Hughes’s son Michael, also of Mull Terrace, said, “They have been telling us nothing. As far as I’m concerned, the plans were passed without having the vote of the tenants-they just did it the way they wanted to.
“Everybody is happy with phase one of the plans -it’s a good thing for the area, but what people are not happy with is houses being built on their parks. This work could go on for months. They started late, and they have already had unforeseen things happen, so it could be years before it’s finished.”
Frances Docherty and her husband Patrick live in Gruinard Terrace and have found themselves completely boxed in as a result of the work.
She said, “I’d like to know why they can’t get the bus up here, then have it turn round in the lay-by beside the row of houses. This is only supposed to be going on for a few weeks -but it will be months. You can’t stop progress. They were supposed to be starting in May and that never happened. There are people in their nineties living here and they are having to walk much more.”
Another resident who suffers from arthritis is said to be worrying about where she will park her car when drainage work moves down in front of her house on Hebrides Drive.
Councillor Andy Dawson said, “There’s no doubt about it, it’s an inconvenience, but we’ve got to build houses as there are so many people in need of them. I do sympathise with the people who have been affected by this. It will take time and there will be a certain amount of disruption.”