The Western Gateway is as important to Dundee as the £1 billion waterfront redevelopment and the V&A, the city’s planning chief has claimed.
Director of city development Mike Galloway said the council was “delighted” to see Springfield Properties bring forward their £150 million, 600-home, project.
Mr Galloway was speaking at the end of Springfield’s launch of their Western Gateway proposals, revealed in The Courier on Thursday.
Asking to address the audience in the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, he said the council would not come to a formal view about the project until his department produces a report with recommendations that would be considered by councillors next year.
He said: “We have had very interesting discussions with Springfield and like their style. The Western Gateway is up there with the waterfront and V&A in terms of its strategic importance to the economy of the city.
“If we want to bring investment and jobs to the city we have to bring the quality of housing that people would aspire to.”
Mr Galloway’s comments were a signal of the council’s delight the ambitious scheme they have had on the drawing board for more than a decade could be about to become a reality.
Village sites at Liff South, South Gray and Swallow Village were identified for hundreds of new homes to better manage the city’s expansion, but national building companies Bett, Cala, Stephen and Barratt declined to become involved.
Three months ago Elgin-based Springfield came forward and have staked an interest in the South Gray site.
Chairman Sandy Adam said they would like to develop all three but had to start somewhere.
South Gray was the initial focus and would receive the first of the dwellings if planning permission is granted, but the company was also interested in Swallow Village and Liff South.
The company would have to pay for extra road and school facilities, but Mr Adam said: “We are confident we can come to an agreement with the council.”
The Swallow roundabout on the A90 would need to be upgraded to cope with the extra traffic, but this would be done when a “trigger point” of new house construction was reached.
Springfield land manager Sandra Lindsay said: “We think Dundee is the place to be. We’d like to get started as soon as possible and be able to hand over the keys to our first customer in the spring of 2015.”
The company has lodged a proposal of application notice and is holding the first public consultation meeting into their plans at the DoubleTree by Hilton on January 23.