The first steps have been taken to create a new £17 million world-class sporting centre in Dundee.
Preparatory work has begun in Caird Park on the long awaited Regional Performance Centre for Sport, which is expected to be open for business by 2018.
The initial £850,000 infrastructure improvement project, scheduled for completion by July, will see access to the site enhanced and a bridge leading into Caird Park Golf Club replaced entirely.
It is hoped building work on the centre itself will then get under way.
Unrivalled in Courier Country, the Regional Performance Centre for Sport will provide a training venue for squads across a range of sports.
Dundee’s two professional football clubs, Dundee and Dundee United, have been involved in the development process.
It is hoped the facilities will encourage people to get involved in sport at a local level and be an entry point for young athletes, providing a pathway for their development and participation in performance sport.
Dundee City Council leader Ken Guild believes the centre can help launch the careers of a new generation of Dundonian athletes.
He said: “We put in a very determined effort some years ago for the national sport centre, but we didn’t get it.
“The Scottish Government and sportscotland were so impressed by the efforts we put in and by the vision we had for Dundee that they determined the regional sports centre should be in Dundee.
“What you’re seeing today is the start of the infrastructure which will enable the building work to take place.”
He continued: “It has taken some time to get all of the elements together but we have been involved in prolonged negotiations with the national governing bodies of the various sports as to line up who will actually be making use of the sport centre.
“We’re looking at everything from the city’s senior clubs and their sports right down to the beginners.
“I became a member of Hawkhill Harriers way back in 1960 and that is a club who have always had very much a public base, bringing on people who have never taken part in sport. They’ve produced athletes like Liz McColgan as a result.
“So we’re hoping this facility will encourage even further the interest of sport in Dundee.”
Sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris said: “It’s taken a bit of time to get to this stage but it’s important that you get the plans right.
“This will be a fantastic facility for Dundee and for the surrounding area.”