“Solve enough problems and we’ll get it built.”
That’s the mindset of Dundee managing director John Nelms as his new stadium plans for Camperdown Park took a step forward.
Dark Blue Holdings, the company set up by Nelms and Dundee owner Tim Keyes to construct a new 15,000 seater home for the club, showcased their progress on Monday.
Members of the public attended the event, at Dundee’s Landmark Hotel, where questions could be asked of Nelms and key personnel involved in the construction project.
A second meeting will be held online on October 24.
High on the agenda were questions about transport access from the Kingsway, finance and the ambitious 2024 target set by Nelms himself earlier this year.
Changes?
This is the second public consultation held by Dark Blue Holdings after a previous effort in 2017.
Feedback was taken on board from that meeting and some aspects of the plans have changed in the five years since – most notably for transport access after discussions with Transport Scotland.
Plans now see vehicles come off the Kingsway dual-carriageway and straight into the site with traffic expected to snake around the stadium before reaching the car park itself.
“It is the best way to do it,” Nelms said in a sit-down with written media.
“We had to do eight different locations and do studies.
“I was getting frustrated but that’s the process you have to do.
“Of course, there is still an element of the unknown when you submit the planning application.
“There will always be tweaks but we are confident we will get there.
“Since the last meeting in 2017, the concept hasn’t changed much but the one thing Covid gave us is we got to test our theory over and over again and to talk to more people.
“The majority of it is all still the same.”
Cost of Dundee’s new stadium
One thing Nelms wouldn’t be drawn on was how much the entire project would ultimately cost to build.
He does, though, admit the rise in construction costs over the past year were a big concern.
But they won’t stop him trying to get building work started and he insists current plans won’t differ hugely from their original ones in terms of cost.
“I won’t say the total cost. We are constantly looking at the number as we go because it is 100% budget-driven, it has to be,” Nelms said.
“We have the football stadium but also concerts and conferencing and things the city absolutely needs.
“The amount of money the project will bring to the city is huge.
“But in order to do that, we have to make sure we can build it without going broke.
“We aren’t far off the original number, I wouldn’t say.
“We were (at one time), it expanded, but we value-engineered and brought it back down.
“Once we get approval, we can then see where we are at (in terms of cost of materials) and we press the button on what the design is and then that’s the number.
“It’s ongoing but we absolutely think we will make a profit. That’s why we have so many different elements (to the project) – if some elements struggle, other elements pick it up.”
‘Very concerned’
But what about the current climate with a cost-of-living crisis hitting people hard as well as inflation and costs of construction materials and interest rates?
He said: “Construction prices went through the roof and that made us very concerned.
“Luckily we are getting to a point where it is stabilising.
“I’m always looking at those things and they are always a concern.
“But we are spending money and we think if we are spending money then it’s going to work.
“Investing into this project, we do think it is going to work.
“We will borrow. We weren’t going to do that at one point (but we are now).
He added: “There are always reasons why not to do something.
“We have been trying to get this done for several years now. You just have to continue to solve problems.
“Solve enough problems and we’ll get it built.
“That’s where we are at.”
‘Exciting project’
Dundee finance director Alasdair McGill, who is also advising Dark Blue Holdings, insists there won’t be an issue getting finance in place.
He said: “From the finance market point of view there is a real appetite for this. It’s an exciting project.
“I’ve had multiple meetings and have another this week. I don’t have an issue raising the finance, the issue is how good a deal can we strike?
“What will the terms be and how long is it for?
“This is a very attractive proposition because of what other people in the market are looking at.
“You have all these different elements that co-exist so that is the feedback when we are talking to people who might fund it: it works.”
When will Dundee move to new ground?
John Nelms surprised many earlier this year when he set out a target for Dundee to be in their new stadium, dubbed ‘New Campy’, by 2024.
A planning application is still to be made and permission granted in a process that can take months.
With that in mind, Nelms admits it may take a little longer to come to fruition.
“That’s where I want to be,” he said of his 2024 target.
“I’ve got a whole group of people telling me 2025 which I don’t like.
“They are probably right and I’m being a bit aggressive because I’m constantly pushing.
“It has a lot to do with whether we recycle bits of Dens Park. Lots of things come into play.
“We have to get through planning and other elements which I can’t control.”
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