Dundee residents fighting against the closure of their community centre say moving services into a new super school would “rip the heart out” of their area.
Dundee City Council is consulting on proposals to move several services from Whitfield, Douglas and Mid Craigie to the new £100 million East End Community Campus on Drumgeith Road.
That would include the closure and relocation of Douglas Community Centre and the area’s sports centre.
People who use the community centre have spoken out against the plans to relocate its services about a mile away.
Woman fears loneliness if Douglas Community Centre is relocated
Douglas resident Isabel Toner said: “I come to the community centre four or five days every week.
“I get a lovely lunch for a very small sum, I join in activities such as reading, writing and colouring groups, I play bingo and I use the food larder here.
“I meet friends and socialise and I love coming here.
“My mobility is very poor but I can walk here – there is no way I could walk to the school campus even if I wanted to.
“We are a family here and if I couldn’t come here, I would end up sitting on my own at home and be really lonely.”
Isabel’s friends, George Craig and his sister Margaret Craig, are also regular visitors to the centre.
George said: “If we couldn’t come here we would be stuck at home.
“There would be no point in trying to go to the campus because it just wouldn’t be the same.
“We are family here – it couldn’t feel like that anywhere else.”
Annette Hutchison, another regular at the centre, said: “There is always so much going on and everyone is so warm and welcoming.
“It’s a way of life for many people to come here and relocating to the campus just wouldn’t be the same.
“For a start, the centre is in the heart of the community and it’s easy for everyone to get to – if would be too long a walk for most people to go to the campus.”
Karen Cullen, who uses the food larder and is also a volunteer at the centre, told The Courier the area would “suffer” if the centre closed.
She said: “The food larder is very important for many people, myself included.”
Margaret Hogg, chairperson of the centre’s management community, says the facility was visited 72,000 times between September 2023 and September 2024.
On Monday this week, 720 people used the centre – with 60 of them benefitting from a free meal.
Dozens of services are hosted at the centre, from mum and toddler meetings to recovery and social activity groups.
‘Most people have told me they wouldn’t use the school campus’
Margaret said: “It would rip the heart out of Douglas.
“We are a family here and run many services and groups every day.
“Most people have told me they wouldn’t use the new school campus.
“We are in the centre of the community and people only have a few minutes walk to get to us whereas the new campus is a good half an hour walk from here and for many others.
“There are also all the associated concerns about security, access and suitable accommodation given we will be in a school building.”
Dorothy McHugh, Labour councillor for the East End ward, believes the move would affect vulnerable people.
She said: “Members of the local management group worry about the loss of this safe space for many local people, who know they can wander in whenever they need help or support and be assured of a kind and warm welcome.
“They also worry whether there will be any provision for some of the area’s more vulnerable groups to meet – substance recovery groups, for instance – and express concerns about the issue of stigma that may affect children and young people whose parents may need to access foodbank facilities within the new campus.”
Launching the consultation, a spokesperson for the council said:Â “Before any final decisions are taken, it is essential that we understand what these plans would mean for users and the wider community.
“This is particularly the case for those who have characteristics protected by law.
Council ‘understands plans will have different implications’
“This is a legal requirement, so the survey asks specific questions to identify if people have protected characteristics. However, each of the questions is entirely optional.
“It is also important to stress that everyone is invited to have their say on the proposal, regardless of whether or not they consider themselves to have protected characteristics.
“We are committed to working with communities, understanding that the plans will have different implications depending on individuals’ circumstances.
“Whether you are a current user of the facilities, a member of the wider community, someone with an idea about the future of a building or anyone else with feedback, we want to hear from you.”
Conversation