Perth and Kinross Council has responded to complaints after it laid a long-awaited path – with a telegraph pole right in the middle of it.
Residents were bemused as to why a path was laid swerving around the obstruction rather than removing it or moving it to the side.
The action was described as “strange” by one local councillor and the council is now working with Openreach to relocate the pole.
Carse of Gowrie councillor Angus Forbes received several complaints about the newly laid path at Gourdie Hill, between Grange and Errol.
The Conservative councillor said: “I had a number of complaints about the new path that’s being built near Gourdie Hill which is disappointing because this is the start of a path which will hopefully link Errol and Grange – something the local community has been asking for, for a long time.”
Cllr Forbes raised the concerns with council officers and received the following as part of a response from PKC which he shared on Facebook.
It said: “Before the works commenced, we discussed moving the pole but considered it to be cost-prohibitive. It would also result in significant delays to the project. Therefore, we considered it appropriate to provide a section of localised widening to allow sufficient space for pedestrians to pass. However, following discussions within our wider team it has been indicated that, due to the cables running in a certain direction, it may be possible to move this one telegraph post without moving several others. This means it may be cost-effective to move the pole. As such, we have entered into discussions with Openreach to discuss moving the post.”
A PKC spokesperson said: “We are working with the company to get the pole relocated which will happen as soon as possible.”
Cllr Forbes is pleased complaints are being addressed. He was also pleased to see the surfacing work on the pavement completed this week.
He said: “There are two main issues here. One was the pole being left in the middle of the path which does seem a strange thing to do and I am pleased that the council are going to look again at that and see if the pole can be moved.
“The other complaint was about the quality of workmanship. The path has now been completed and the quality looks good. A resident did raise the issue of the kerbstones as they look like they have reused the old ones. This may be a way of recycling existing bricks which I would support.
“We must not lose sight of the fact that this path is the start of a project that has taken many years to get moving. I am delighted to see it start and grateful to Perth and Kinross Council for allocating the funding which hopefully means there is less money that has to be found by the local community.”
Labour’s Bailie Alasdair Bailey – who represents Carse of Gowrie – was also pleased to see the work completed.
He said: “Hopefully this section and the wee bit at the edge of Errol will be united by the Carse of Gowrie group’s longer stretch in the not too distant future. The council is doing what it can at either end to help connect that to the villages.”
An Openreach spokesperson said: "Our pole was in place to provide local services well before the construction of the new pavement. There are set costs for moving infrastructure and we’d agree a plan with any organisation that requests this. We’re working with Perth and Kinross Council to reach a solution as soon as possible."
