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Dundee council plan to close Kirkton centre and open school libraries to public branded ‘dangerous’

St Pauls Academy and Baldragon Academy would be opened to the public for use as community facilities under the proposals.

Kirkton Community Centre
Dundee City Council wants to phase out Kirkton Community Centre by October 2024. Image: Paul Reid/DC Thomson.

A plan to close Kirkton Community Centre and open several Dundee school libraries to the public in its place has been branded “dangerous and incompetent”.

Dundee council says the community hub will increase the hours of operation for library services, sports and meeting rooms.

If approved the plan would see use of Kirkton Community Centre phased out by October 2024.

In its place, St Pauls Academy and Baldragon Academy would be opened to the public for use as community facilities.

A community hub would be created at St Pauls Academy. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

Similar proposals for a community hub to replace the library were put forward in 2020, described at the time as “bold and ambitious” by council leader John Alexander.

Dundee-based North East MSP Michael Marra says the latest version of the plan is instead “dangerous and incompetent”.

He said: “Despite years of asking questions no clarity has been provided on accessibility or on the crucial issue of safety.”

The Labour politician highlighted several services based at the community centre which could not fit into the model.

This includes drug and alcohol recovery services as well as the community larder.

Concerns about these services were echoed by the group who run the centre – which has served Kirkton for around five decades.

Security worries

In a letter to Mr Alexander, Mr Marra claimed that allowing public access to schools had not been the norm for over 25 years.

Increased security measures were put in place after a public inquiry into the shooting at Dunblane Primary School in 1996.

It recommended stricter access controls, including the use of visitor logs.

However, the council leader said other examples of shared access already exist in Perthshire and Angus.

Mr Marra continued: “For very good reasons our schools do not have open door policies. School spaces are not shared by pupils, staff and the general public.

“There is no clarity from the SNP administration as to how and when spaces will or can be segregated.

Community hubs ‘not a new model’

“Without those key issues being laid out in detail the council should not be pursuing this policy.”

Mr Alexander responded: “This is not a new model and it’s been operating for years in Tayside.

“Locally, Forfar Community Campus has been in operation since 2017 and there are others in Perth and Kinross already providing superb facilities within a school type environment.

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander. Image: Steve Brown/DC Thomson.

“The new Monifieth Campus will similarly provide education and community access. Mr Marra should perhaps research the models already operating in his own patch before passing comment.”

Mr Alexander said the plan was an expansion of what works well already.

He added: “We are working closely with the community itself and I have personally been in contact with them to ensure that legitimate questions are addressed.

“It’s important to be clear that communities already have safe and secure access to our schools, with public access to the swimming pool at St Pauls.

“We take the safety of the public extremely seriously and as the model moves forward over the next year, we’ll be supporting the community to derive maximum benefit and utilise a fund of £100,000 to do so.”

Conversation