PLANS TO develop a 1000-job digital media park in the centre of Dundee were given a major boost yesterday with an announcement from Holyrood that the project has been awarded over £1.75 million of European funding, writes Ian Findlay, industrial reporter.

The grant is by far and away the biggest to be made in a round of grants totalling £6 million, which were unveiled by Scotland’s deputy enterprise minister Lewis Macdonald.

News of the hugely important cash backing for the Dundee Digital Media Park development—destined for a 17-acre former railyard site south of Perth Road and west of Greenmarket—was welcomed by delighted Scottish Enterprise Tayside chief executive Shona Cormack.

“Securing European funding is a key landmark and is great news,” she said.

“The Dundee Digital Media Park is a clear signal to the international business community that Scotland is actively creating an environ-ment in which high value, digital companies can thrive.

“I am delighted that the digital media park continues to make significant pro-gress.”

The scale of the plans for the digital media park first emerged last summer and the proposals were given the go ahead by city councillors last month, when it was agreed to grant the plans outline planning permission.

Detailed plans are now being prepared with the aim of starting work on site later this year.

The objective behind transforming the one-time railyards site is to create a specialist business park for the creative industries, particularly those in the digital media sector in which Dundee already plays a significant role.

In addition, the scheme could also see other retail/commercial development, along with some housing.

The site in question lies between Seabraes Lane, off Perth Road, to the north and the Dundee-Perth railway line to the south.

It is intended to construct buildings totalling around 260,000 square feet, which would be located at the eastern end and in the centre of the site.

There would also be a single building of 10,000 square feet available for other uses—such as a restaurant, shops, a creche or a gym to serve the business park’s workers—and the west end of the site would be given over to private-sector housing, including two and three-bedroom apartments and maisonettes and three-storey terraced townhouses.

SET has said that the project, which will be financed by the local enterprise company and private funding, will complement the Sea-braes Digital Media Centre, a private-sector development, led by P4 Properties, to create 108,000 square feet of accommodation for the digital media sector.

The Euro cash injection announced yesterday for the digital media park project will go towards phase one of the development.

Works will primarily include site servicing and environmental contact works, including a cyclepath, wildlife corridor and landscaping.

More than £3.4 million will be required for the infrastructure work on the site.

It is hoped that the digital media park will be ready to welcome its first occupants next year and the whole 17-acre site will be developed over a 10 year period.

Another significant project in Dundee also received a huge boost.

A multi-million scheme to restore the historic Gardyne’s Land building off High Street, and transform it into a backpackers’ hostel has been awarded £861,000 towards the work.

The total cost of the pro-ject has been put at £3.39 million.

The project is also receiving funding from the Lottery, Historic Scotland, SET and other funding sources.

Some parts of the Gardyne’s Land group of buildings date back to the 16th century.

Meanwhile, The Factory skatepark project proposed by The Gate Fellowship in Dundee, is set to receive £48,738 of European grant aid towards the £1 million-plus cost of the development, planned for land east of Douglas Road and south of Balunie Drive.