Dear Supporters,

We are now three months into our collective efforts to Save Riverside Park. Our numbers continue to rise, and awareness of what our community could lose grows stronger every day. Your support has been instrumental in keeping this vital green space in the public eye.

We received no substantive response from Dundee City Council (DCC) to our legal petition. This is a clear sign that they understand the strength of our challenge. We are continuing with court proceedings and will update you all regarding any outcomes as soon as we receive an official update.

We stand resolute in our belief that DCC took a decision that breaches:

1. Environmental Regulations. As many of you will know, Riverside Park is home to Scotland’s own beautiful red squirrels. Not only this, but you can regularly see oystercatchers (the wee black and white birds with long orange beaks), starlings (famous for their complicated aerial displays), curlews (the brown ones with long curved beaks), swooping cormorants, the occasional resting goose, and many more! By looking after our space for us, we also look after the space of all of these amazing species!

2. Our Local Development Plan. This plan is designed to ensure that our city’s development is for the people. It gives us a chance to have our voices heard and should stop poor planning decisions from being taken.

3. Our Access Rights. This green space belongs to the people of Dundee. It has been used for years by folk for all sorts of activities! Runners, walkers, footballers, rugby players, picnickers, wildlife watchers, children learning to ride bikes, the list goes on. Riverside Park provides free recreational space for those who can't afford private facilities. For it to be relegated to one group of people would be deeply disappointing and set an unwanted precedent for potential future developments on our other green spaces too. We currently have the right to roam and we will continue to do so!

4. Our Flood Safety Provisions. Like much of Scotland, Dundonians are facing the reality of increasing risks of our spaces being flooded. This can be hard to believe when we enjoy these sunny days, but those that live overlooking the park know that with heavy rainfall and a high tide the Tay can look ready to breach the flood defences. We want to ensure that any development in the area takes proper account of this, so that people are kept safe and any infrastructure is designed with this in mind.

Community Stories Making an Impact

Standing up for green spaces for all is what we will continue to do together. Keep talking about Riverside Park and keep sharing stories of the times you’ve spent there. We have really enjoyed reading all the beautiful stories shared with us with so far!

How You Can Help Now

In the meantime, with all of the beautiful sunshine we’ve been having, why don’t you get out into the park yourself! Take time to look out over the Tay, have a picnic, play some football, enjoy a jog, or take some pictures of one of Dundee’s most scenic green spaces.

We are nearly at 1000 signatures on our petition too! Check it out here.

Standing Together Across Scotland

Sadly we are not alone in having our beloved park threatened. There is an eerily similar proceeding in Glasgow that requires your backing — The Save Cathkin Park campaign.

Greg Brown has been acting on behalf of his community to prevent the enclosure of public green space. Cathkin Park has been used for many years as an open space for all and should remain as such. Check out this amazing community’s battle here.

As Greg put so well in a recent post of his, it is ‘abundantly clear that saving public open spaces is a national issue. That's why our campaign to save Cathkin Park has been so important. We continue to stand up not just for our own green space, but for others' too.’ Save Riverside Park echoes that sentiment wholeheartedly and we will continue to stand with Save Cathkin Park.

Thank you for standing with us and with green spaces across Scotland.

The Save Riverside Park Team

Dear Supporters,

We have some wonderful news to share with you. We are celebrating an incredible milestone in our journey! Together, with your generous support, we have achieved our target of raising £5,000 in under 30 days.

This achievement demonstrates the power of our community when we stand together for what is right. The strength of our campaign lies in its vision for a better Dundee — one where development decisions are made transparently, with genuine community consultation, and where our precious green spaces are valued and respected.

Our legal petition for a judicial review to the Court of Session has been accepted, and we are awaiting a response from Dundee City Council due by the end of this week at the latest. Our CrowdJustice page will remain open, gathering funds for our case should unavoidable costs exceed their estimate.

As mentioned previously, all donations transfer directly to our solicitors, R & R Urquhart LLP. Donations cover the restricted fees charged by our court agents and any court fees we may incur. All remaining funds will go to the Environmental Rights Centre Scotland (ERCS) who provided us with excellent resources and invaluable advice in our campaign’s early stages.

Moving forward, we need your continued engagement and support to make our voice heard. Our change.org petition has already gathered over 800 signatures, and we were featured in The Courier over the weekend. So let's carry this momentum with us until we secure a positive outcome that serves all of Dundee. Here are some reminders of what we are advocating for:

1. We are not opposing improved training facilities for the city. We’re advocating for proper planning processes, for the adherence to environmental regulations and basic flood protection measures, and for access rights to public land. We believe that a public park’s use should not be reserved for a minority: Riverside Park exists for the enjoyment of all Dundonians.

2. We believe that training facilities should be located in areas that need them most. The West End of Dundee is relatively well-equipped, and has the lowest proportion of children aged 0-15 in the city. These facilities should be located where they can have a maximum positive impact on young people's development.

3. The site’s poor public transport links limit access for those without cars, creating a barrier to community participation. The closest public transport stop, according to the planning application, is Dundee Airport. We struggle to imagine anyone travels to the park by plane! By choosing a more accessible location, we can ensure these facilities truly serve all of Dundee's residents.

4. We're advocating for a win-win solution: developing facilities on one of Dundee's many brownfield sites while preserving our irreplaceable green spaces. This is about protecting Dundee’s front yard.

As updates inevitably arrive in the coming weeks and months, we will share them with you as soon as possible. As always, if you’d like more details, please contact [email protected]

Thank you for your continued support in this campaign. Together, we can and will Save Riverside Park!

With gratitude,

The Save Riverside Park Team