Wednesday 5 November 2008

Facelift for Dundee's vacant land

The City Council issued the following news release today with good news about how the vacant and derelict land fund will improve sites across our City :

Landscaping to improve the appearance of a former factory in Kingsway East, better access for pedestrians to the rear of Lochee High Street and a nature park at Riverside are set to benefit from a £5m cash boost.

Members of Dundee City Council's planning and transport committee will be told that the schemes, along with 26 others, will be carried out in the next three years using cash from the Scottish Government's vacant and derelict land fund.

Committee convener Fraser Macpherson said: "Money from this fund has already helped the council to clean-up a number of empty and neglected areas around the city, and this boost will mean that work can be extended into other plots of land that need attention.

"I am particularly pleased to see landscaping and improvements at the former ABB factory in the plan. It is high-profile site on one of our ambassador routes into the city, and will benefit greatly from a face lift."

Members will consider a report by director of planning and transportation Mike Galloway that highlights the objective of improving and removing a significant amount of existing vacant and derelict land to make it more useful and marketable.

The planned measures will be carried out to make the sites more economically viable and attractive to potential developers or to become improved sufficiently that they can be considered meaningful urban parkland.

Mr Galloway's report concludes with a reassurance to elected members that the delivery plan will be regularly monitored to ensure that maximum benefit can be achieved from the £5.25m available to Dundee for the next three years through the fund.

The Planning and Transport Committee will consider the report at its meeting on Monday (November 10).