Eden Project Dundee is projected to cost around £130 million and attract half a million visitors a year.
More details of the ambitious project to create a visitor attraction from a former gasworks in the city have emerged.
Situated on East Dock Street, Eden Project Dundee would take two years to build.
But organisers are still hopeful at raising the required funds and opening before the end of 2026.
After three months of consultation, a planning permission application will be submitted to Dundee City Council before the end of the year.
Eden Project Dundee to comprise three venues
Caishlan Sweeney, Eden Project’s community campaign manager in Dundee, said the ecological destination will consist of three venues.
She said: “Venue one introduces the notion of regeneration.
“It’s a space where we’ll talk about what we’re doing to the planet and how we can start to bring our relationship with nature back into balance.
“Venue two is the gas holder currently on site, which we hope to use. We want to create two different spaces in there.
“The first space – called the Dark Seam – will feel underground and tell the story of the Carboniferous period, millennia ago.
“It was a period when the planet was growing trees and plants at an enormous rate.
“When they fell, there wasn’t enough time for them to rot because they were so abundant.
“From there we come up into the living forest.
“This will tell the stories of how we live now and the different ways we can be caring for nature.
“The third venue will explore the relationships with nature a bit more deeply.
“It will be a place to find out more about what you’ve learned and contemplate.
“We might be able to tell more of the story in detail through art or theatre.”
Addressing a Dundee City Centre Stakeholder meeting, Ms Sweeney said crops will be grown onsite for its restaurant.
There are also plans for a pedestrian footbridge, though this may not be in place for the attraction’s opening.
Funding and pricing
The budget is currently estimated at £130m, which will be raised, like V&A Dundee, from a mixture of private and public funds.
The Scottish and UK governments are expected to contribute, as well as Dundee City Council, trusts, foundations and high net worth individuals.
Northwood Trust, Dundee University and Dundee City Council have been supporting the project so far.
After the build, the model is for Eden Project Dundee to be self-sufficient.
The projected number of visitors is around 500,000 a year.
This is the same number as the initial estimate for V&A Dundee. In the V&A’s first year 830,000 people attended.
Ms Sweeney said ticket pricing would be set at a level that “makes sense” for the people in the city.
She said: “There will be a range of prices so that everyone can have a route in.
“At Eden Project Cornwall, the price for locals is much lower.
“It might be possible that a single entry gives you access for a year.”
Creating up to 250 jobs – and when will Eden Project Dundee open?
She said Eden Project will be a major draw to bring tourists to Dundee.
“Our initial aims are the aims of any big organisation that comes to the city.
“We want to be part of the tourism landscape and encourage people to stay longer and more often.
“We want to be part of Dundee’s existing regeneration plans.
“Also, we want to engage visitors and residents with the natural world and build on the local culture of innovation and creativity.
“We want to work with young people.
“We want to be financially sustainable and be part of a network of Edens around the world.”
The attraction will create between 200 and 250 jobs and there will be an emphasis on using local suppliers.
The Eden team are hoping for council approval of the plans in the spring.
Ms Sweeney added: “If we get planning, that gives confidence to funders.
“We still are thinking that it’s possible for us to open (at the) back end of 2026.
“If we get everything in place, it’s about a two-year build.”
Conversation