There’s something wrong about the lack of progress of Dundee FC’s new stadium at Camperdown.
Why the delay?
We’re told the council needs time to compile a report on the submissions from Dark Blue Property Holdings, the company set up by Dundee owners Tim Keyes and John Nelms for the project.
The planning committee could have had the report drawn up before now.
They knew this would come before them at some point.
There is nothing to stop the council discussing a plan they’ve had since February 2024.
It’s the preliminary stage, not full permission. But passing it would allow some progress.
And please don’t give me the roads excuse.
‘Minor details’
It has been reported there are ongoing discussions between Dark Blue Property Holdings (DBPH) and Transport Scotland about the junction, and the latest proposal has been cleared by an independent audit.
It is surely only a matter of a short time before full agreement is reached.
Anyway, that junction – for a small car park – is a small part of a big jigsaw.
I can’t see why this minor detail delays the rest of the project.
Are there other problems? If so, what are they?
Why can’t a special meeting of the planning committee be convened now instead of waiting until August?
When a shared United-Dundee stadium at Caird Park for the 2008 Euros was proposed in 2001, the plans were assessed and passed by councillors within five months.
Why has permission for a site a mile along the Kingsway taken eight years?
This stadium project falls within the remit of the local authority’s City Development team, led by Robin Presswood.
Mr Presswood must be excited about this happening on his watch. It’s a feather in his cap.
He will, I imagine, be fighting hard to get it over the line.
It is, after all, a £95 million injection of private capital.
‘New Dundee FC stadium is gift to the city’
A stadium and major concert and conference venue that also promises 183 much-needed homes, 180 construction jobs, 230 permanent jobs, and £162m revenue for the city over 25 years.
There is no public cost. It’s a gift to the city. All we have to do is say “yes”.
I wrote earlier this year that this stadium project will be a fantastic asset for the city and to lose it would be a savage blow.
Again, the question nags at me – why delay saying yes?
There must have been, I expect, meetings between DBPH, Transport Scotland and the council.
These would have been organised by Mr Presswood’s department.
They’ll have been working behind the scenes to smooth the way, keep all sides informed and engaged – doing anything and everything to make sure the project goes ahead.
Any issue holding this up could surely be ironed out by tomorrow if all the interested parties got round a table again.
Perhaps, to speed things along, Mr Presswood could use his influence to insist the council’s planning committee convene an emergency meeting.
Everyone at the local authority will, surely, be striving to secure this £95m shot in the arm for the city.
DBPH haven’t spent so much money already without genuine intent.
And yet it has taken so incredibly long. Why?
Conversation