Work has started on the next phase of Dundee’s waterfront regeneration, promising to deliver an urban beach and active travel hub by next spring.
Contractors have moved on to the Waterfront Place site next to the V&A, with council bosses hailing the £6m investment as the latest step forward in the wider redevelopment of the area.
Concern has been mounting over the pace of change with no tenant yet officially confirmed for the controversial Earl Grey office block opposite the V&A, retail units lying empty, and a question mark over plans for a new cinema billed as a link between the waterfront and the city centre.
Mark Flynn, depute convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee, said contractors Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure Limited arrived on the Waterfront Place site earlier this week.
“It is great to see things getting under way on this high profile space at the heart of the central waterfront.
“By spring next year when work is completed Waterfront Place will offer an interesting and innovative space right by the estuary for people from the city and visitors of all ages to enjoy.”
The investment forms the next part of a phased and managed growth at the waterfront, he added.
“The months and years ahead will see much more to come.
“Waterfront Place will offer a unique leisure space that will absolutely deliver on the initial pledge to enliven the area, act as a magnet for visitors and create a buzz by the Tay.”
The plans for Waterfront Place include a landscaped 7,000 sq ft urban beach surrounded by bench seating and a 2,150 sq ft active travel hub offering cycle hire and storage.
The area will have illuminated footpaths, soft landscaping including grassed dunes, and hard landscaping constructed from Dutch brick.
A water feature with pop-up water jets will also form part of the development.
Stuart Parker, managing director of Morgan Sindall Construction in Scotland, said Waterfront Place was a key part of the overall £1bn waterfront regeneration.
“Waterfront Place is integral to the success of the overall scheme and we’re very pleased to be delivering it in partnership with the council.”
He said the project was “attracting international interest- spanning tourists to inward investors, while also ensuring people in the city can access and benefit from the development.”
