Lib Dems against proposals to close Broughty Ferry Castle and Caird Park Golf Course

Liberal Democrat councillors today reacted with fury to news that the outcome of a recent consultation exercise by SNP-controlled Dundee City Council is recommending the closure of Caird Park Golf Course and Broughty Ferry Castle Museum.  It also proposes a stay of execution for Mills Observatory.

Strathmartine councillor Daniel Coleman said: 
"The Liberal Democrat Group is outraged at the recommendations in this report on the future of key Dundee leisure and cultural facilities.  Although the recommendation of continuing support for Mills Observatory is a relief, the recommendations to close Caird Park Golf Course and Broughty Castle Museum are disgraceful.”   
"Has it really come to this after 15 disastrous years of the SNP running Dundee City Council?”
"Caird Park Golf Course is in my ward and I know from so many local residents its loss would be keenly felt.  There are many at Caird Park who enjoy golfing there for both physical activity and it is particularly for more elderly course users a social outing.  This recommendation to close the golf course would simply be the council promoting loneliness, isolation and loss of physical activity amongst its own population - what a damning indictment of this SNP council.”
"The SNP previously closed Camperdown Golf Course that was also in my ward and at that time tried to justify that closure by pointing to continuing support of Caird Park Golf Course.  Having left Camperdown's former golf course an overgrown neglected mess, the SNP now intends to do the same with Caird Park Golf Course.   It is disgraceful and extremely sad,"

Broughty Ferry councillor Craig Duncan added:
"There are serious questions about just how meaningless this consultation has been.  91% of people responding to the Broughty Castle Museum consultation said closing the museum would have a negative impact but the SNP council's recommendation is to close it anyway. What a pointless consultation if the public's strong view to keep the museum open is simply ignored.” 
"The council has spent millions upgrading the Broughty Ferry waterfront as part of the flood defences work and having spent all that wants to close a museum that brings 40 000 visitors a year to Broughty Ferry.  The SNP council has the economics of the mad house and the SNP show a total lack of ambition for Broughty Ferry and the city of Dundee as a whole.”
"We should be encouraging more people to visit Broughty Ferry and boosting the local economy and closing the castle museum would do the opposite.  Local residents and the business community will be outraged at this disgraceful closure recommendation."