Ambitious plans to create 15,000 jobs in Tayside and Fife by securing nearly £2 billion of investment have been unveiled.
The long-awaited Tay Cities Deal submission document is seeking UK and Scottish Government funding to transform infrastructure across Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross and north east Fife.
The 100-page document outlines 56 separate projects that could create 15,000 new jobs over the next 10 years and was published online on Friday morning.
Among the major projects outlined in the document are Dundeecom, a private-public partnership to create a major centre in Scotland for oil and gas decommissioning work.
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This would be based in three ports: Montrose, Dundee and Methil. The submission states this could create up to 7,700 new full-time jobs.
There are also proposals to develop tourism in Dundee by building the UK’s first permanent comics museum.
The submission also includes proposals to create an International Aviation Academy at Dundee airport and improve its current radar facilities.
There are also proposals to develop marine tourism along the Fife coats between St Andrews and Newburgh by developing pontoon and marina facilities.
The report says this is a part of a bid to capitalise on the opening of the V&A next year.
It states: “This particular development (the V&A) has the potential to be catalytic – not just for Dundee but for the wider region, heightening the profile of the broader tourism offer and presenting the opportunity for more industry collaboration and partnerships to address strategic priorities.
“To achieve this we need to make the region more ‘sticky’ as a visitor destination to attract higher spending markets with a greater propensity to stay longer or repeat visit. ”
There are also plans to contribute funding to create an international barley research hub at The James Hutton Institute.
The total cost of the proposed investment is £1.8 billion, of which £826 million (45%) over the first 10 years is being sought from the Scottish and UK governments and their agencies.
