Dunning Placecheck - Update on Progress and Priorities

 

Dunning Placecheck - Update on Progress and Priorities

Evaluation

The evaluation process for Dunning Placecheck has now finished. Thankyou to everyone who completed the online and paper evaluations and those who took part in focus groups. The full report can be downloaded from the Downloads section.

Here are some of the results from focus groups held in Dunning Primary School:

• The new Playpark was the favourite improvement to Dunning
• The cradle swing was their favourite part of the improved park
• 82% of the children use the park more than they did before the changes

Here are some quotes from the children:

• "The basket swing in the park was a huge success, everybody loves it"
• "It?s much easier to get across (the roads) and it feels safer for"
• "Now people look after the park more"

Here are some quotes from the teachers:

• "We were able to really involve the children in looking at their environment"
• "This whole experience has represented true consultation where they (the children) actually have been able to make their comments and they have seen that by and large they have been taken on board"
• "They (the pupils) have seen that with something like the park they were consulted at every step along the way"
• "It links very, very closely to our new Curriculum for Excellence?everything to do with Placecheck fits with that so well"
• "For us as a school, Placecheck has been a fantastic educational experience"
• "Being able to work with the community in this way where the children are almost like a junior Community Council, feeding into the wider consultation process has been very beneficial. I would strongly recommend Placecheck to any other schools as an ideal vehicle for community involvement, responsible citizenship and pupil voice and real life involvement for children"

Here are some initial comments from members of the public:

• "A lot has been done and a lot of people are happy with it"
• "The Council and the community needs to be congratulated in doing this"
• "We have started looking at things differently"
• "We think more about our environment and we know that we ourselves have to take responsibility for a lot of things, it?s not just up to the Council, it?s up to ourselves"
• "It?s added to the community spirit. Every community could benefit from Placecheck"
• "I have grown in realising what we can do within the village. It has given us a great sense of ownership of our village"
• "We as a Community Council are now tryng to involve the community in doing their bit, I think that?s basically whats come out of Placecheck, the best thing to come out of Placecheck, apart from the obvious cosmetic (improvements). It?s the ability to think differently and to realise that we can do things ourselves and can if we need to ask the Council to solve problems"

Dates for the Diary

• October 2009: Cycle racks installed at school
• Started October 2009: New park equipment installed, completed in April once new turf was settled (delay due to bad weather) 
• 9th December: Children planted small orchard at park
• 9th December: Children's speeding campaign  
• 11th January 2010 onwards: Landscaping of old toilet block area, including planting of an oak tree, traffic calming and installation of new bus shelter. Completed May 2010
• March 2010: Works to Tron Square area completed
• Spring 2010: Improvements to the burnside path
• 1st April 2010: Dunning Primary litter pick as part of National Spring Clean
• April 2010: Resurfacing of part of Kirk Wynd
• Spring 2010: Improvements to path next to bowling green. Hedge to be removed and path widened 
• Started May 2010: Rollo Park car park to be resurfaced
• May 2010: New noticeboard installed in the park designed by children from Dunning Primary School
• 28 May: Start of evaluation process started with workshop at Dunning Primary School
• 18 June 2010: Community celebration of Dunning Placecheck in the park
• 2010: New noticeboard to be installed at Tron Square (once listed building consent granted)
• 2010: New noticeboard at Kincladie Wood, installed by the Countryside Trust

Rollo Park & Car Park

Now that consultation with the children at Dunning Primary School is completed, work started after the 2009 October school holidays on the improved park. New equipment includes a cradle swing and a new springie for small children, a basket swing, a flying fox and a new climbing frame for older children. There is also a new surface and a new sign designed by the primary school children and seating designed and built by Dunning teenagers. Fruit trees have been planted by the school children, creating a small orchard. The car park has been completely resurfaced with parking for approximately 28 cars.

Tron Square

Work on the pinch point has now been completed with a new pavement in place. This pavement was seen as a priority as it is an important route for children walking to school. Crossing points have been installed in the Tron Square area making crossing for school children and others, safer and easier.


Improvements to the fountain area is complete which includes new spotlighting.  A new information board is due to be installed in 2010, once listed building consent has been gained. The street light behind the fountain was re-sited.

War Memorial

The chain around the war memorial has been removed and new edging and has been installed. The work has now been completed.

Kirk Wynd & Circus Street

Kirk Wynd has been resurfaced. Work started in December but was delayed due to bad weather. This is being done as part of improving access for school children as it was identified as a key route. It was also improve access for council service vehicles. Circus Wynd is also scheduled to be resurfaced.

Litter picking

A litter picking kit has been provided by Dunning Placecheck after a request from residents to equip them to carry out regular clean-ups of Dunning

Travel Survey at Dunning Primary School

Children in Dunning took part in a travel safety exercise on the 9th December with the Traffic Services. This is part of a regional campaign to encourage motorists not to speed near schools. The electronic signs smile at drivers who approach them within the speed limit, and grimace at those who fail to slow down.

Cycle Parking at Dunning Primary School

As part of Placecheck, a workshop was held at the school and the children discussed how they currently travelled to school and how they would like to travel to school. A large number of children said they would like to cycle to school therefore we installed cycle racks during the 2009 October school holidays.

Toilet Block & Bus Shelter

The old toilet block has been demolished. It is planned that the toilets in the proposed new Dunning Pavilion will be open to the public. Work has started on constructing the new sports pavillion. The old toilets have been replaced with landscaping and a bus shelter. This bus shelter has been installed to benefit passengers including school children waiting for services 20,20A, 613 and 618 and people waiting to collect children. The Council is keen to encourage sustainable transport and the improved passenger waiting facilities at this stop will hopefully encourage more people to use the bus. The bus shelter will be fitted out with a seat, timetable information and lighting. Lighting has been shown to cut down on vandalism and enhance public safety. There is also be a new crossing for the children to cross from the school to the park.

Footbridges

Structural survey reports were received from the Halcrow Group, consultant engineers for Perth and Kinross Council, on the condition of the three footbridges crossing the Dunning Burn. The reports identify the need for short term essential works and options on refurbishment and replacement with estimated costs. The condition of each bridge is generally poor, and the cost of remedial work is about half the cost of replacement. As well as short term work that is required in the next two years, minimal refurbishment works will be required within the next five years at a total estimated cost of £42,000. This would not fully address the corroded condition of the main beams nor the parapet rail supports, which are currently acceptable for the safe use of the structures, but the replacement of all bridges in the foreseeable future is inevitable. Removal and replacement of the bridges is the other option open that needs to be undertaken in the next five years, and the estimated cost for this and the short term works is £90,000. The Council is currently looking at the options, but has so far not managed to secure future capital funding to carry out work. The Community Council has also been asked to look at raising funds.

Footpaths

A separate report was obtained from the Halcrow Group on the condition of the burnside path at Newton of Pitcairns. The condition of the undercut is severe, as might be expected; options for solutions are a gabion basket wall at an estimated cost of £86,200 or a footbridge over the gap at an estimated cost of £101,675. Having discussed the options with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Halcrow Group was told consent would not be given to install a gabion basket wall. The bridge option may be more feasible, but this would not deal with the continued undermining of the path. Construction would depend on agreement from neighbouring landowners. These costs are beyond the Council?s budgets, but there may be a possibility of raising funds through a community group to meet these costs. This might be an option in meeting any shortfall in funding for the bridges. Further discussion on funding with the community is required.
The badly broken surface of the path at the hedge on the right of way from Kirk Wynd to Station Road will be levelled and the width of the hedge has been reduced to improve access. The gaps between the rails at the top of the burnside path above the undercut will be filled with mesh fencing, repairs will be carried out to the wall below and, if possible, access steps will be provided to the burn. This work will be carried out by the Council.