Residents in Dundee have been given the opportunity to shape a major new project at the city’s waterfront.
Dawn Developments, the firm behind an application to build a mixed-use facility on site 12, next to land earmarked for the city’s planned urban beach, have urged local people to share their views on what the building should be used for.
A proposal for application notice was submitted to Dundee City Council in October for a development potentially stretching up to seven storeys tall and including everything from offices and hotels to residential housing and shops.
Paul O’Donnell, the firm’s development director, said project leaders would listen to the views of residents across a number of consultations before deciding on the final plans.
He said: “Given the prominence of it, both to the V&A and the town centre, in my view it’s going to be a mixed use development.
“My belief is it will probably be a hybrid between office and residential. However, I would like to see what other people think.
“The site has four sides, one of which is onto Slessor Gardens, one is onto the river and the other two are onto the bridge. So the gardens and the river lend themselves to the residential component of the development.
“What I would ask is for people to give us their views on it because some might want a big massive tower as a statement, others might like something that’s two or three levels.
“In terms of the mixture of the development and its shape, I think given the topography of the site, that’s probably fixed – so how its designed, its configuration and so on are the things we would like to hear from the public.”
Retired adult education development worker Farzana Chaudhry was one of the first residents to give her thoughts on the plans and praised developers for being “sympathetic” to the views of local people.
She said: “I would be a bit concerned if it’s too high or you couldn’t see outside and it shuts off views of the city. It would be nice to have glass so you can see the surroundings.
“I would definitely prefer this to the skyscraper idea. We have already got rid of all the multis with Tayside House and we definitely don’t want just a big concrete building. It has taken a long time for Dundee to reinvent itself, this is a chance to do it right.”
Barbara Illsley, chairwoman of Dundee Civic Trust, was also impressed by the approach taken by the developers but was keen to see more information.
She said: “I was surprised at the suggestion of another hotel because it seems we have a lot in the immediate area already but the key thing, I think, is whatever is built has to be high quality.
“If it is a well-designed building, it can be an important entry site into the city. I’m pleased to see more residential space being discussed.”
