A former councillor has accused the local authority of “civic vandalism” over repairs to a popular riverside walk in Perth.
Norman Renfrew, 78, said the council had “chosen to ignore” the special status of Norie-Miller Walk, between Queen’s Bridge and Perth Bridge.
“It was laid out with many examples of outdoor art and won many awards,” said Mr Renfrew.
“It is included in the Kinnoull Conservation area.
“Sadly, it had some recent flood damage, among other things a stretch of blockwork paths was washed out.
“Our Perth and Kinross Council chose to ignore the special status of the park and has repaired the path, not with the original blockwork, but with cheap and ugly tarmac.
“Visitors walking along the paved path find there’s a sudden change to tarmac then back to paving.”
Mr Renfrew also claimed the ponds on the walk have a “derelict appearance”.
“The upper pond has hosted a traffic cone and plastic rubbish for months,” he said.
The council said their community greenspace team has created a masterplan for the Norie-Miller Park and the riverside walk.
“The plan was consulted, discussed and agreed with members of the council and interested members of the community,” said a spokesperson.
“An audit was also carried out by the Centre for Inclusive Living, Perth and Kinross, which highlighted accessibility problems on the main riverside path.
“The assessment of the site identified that the paving blocks on the steep section in the area of the Norie-Miller ponds becomes very slippery when wet or frosty. In order to improve accessibility and safety, this section was replaced with tarmac.
“This has meant that original paving blocks, which are no longer available, can be used for repair work elsewhere along the walk.
“The adverse weather over winter dislodged a large area of this section of path and made it impassable, the path was closed to the public while the repair work was carried out.
“The extent of the severe weather has created a backlog of repair works throughout the whole area, which has been prioritised within the finite resources available.
“A temporary repair to this storm-damaged section, as yet unfinished, has been carried out as part of the planned path works further toward Perth Bridge.
“This has enabled the path to be put back into use.
“We are aware that the ponds don’t always work as intended despite recent repairs to the base of the lower pond.
“Further investigation is required and will be carried out when resources allow.”