Want to shape Stobswell’s future? Here’s how Dundonians can get involved

Residents and businesses in Stobswell are being asked to have their say on plans which could shape the area for generations to come.

The Stobswell Forum are developing a so-called local place plan which they hope will inform future planning decisions taken by Dundee City Council.

It comes as the local authority are in the process of preparing their own new development plan – a framework used to guide future development of land and buildings.

This is due to be published in 2028 – and the Stobswell community group are looking to use it to their advantage.

‘It means the council can’t ignore us’

Fionn Stevenson, a trustee for Stobswell Forum, said: “These local development plans are very powerful because they set a direction for the city for the next ten years in terms of planning.

“The Stobswell Forum decided to grab the opportunity to develop Dundee’s first local place plan and try get it lodged with the council.

“The power a local place plan has is that it gets made by the community and every time a planning decision is made, they are obliged to consult it.

“It doesn’t mean we have the power but what it means is the council can’t ignore us. We are hoping this gives us more leverage.”

Arthurstone Library event

The Stobswell Forum are hosting a consultation event on November 7 at Arthurstone  Library and hope the community will come out to share their views.

Fionn said: “We’ve done this work based on existing consultations exercises to put together a plan, rather than starting from scratch.

“The same issues keep coming up so It’s about joining the dots together.

“And there is loads of sensible stuff in there. For example, we want a community bank in the area and getting a traffic management system.

“People can drop in and comment – good, bad or indifferent – to give us feedback.”