£100k-a-year money pot to help improve city shopping

DUNDEE’S district shopping areas are set to benefit from a half-a-million-pound funding pot.

Councillors have rubber-stamped the cash, which will be split into five £100,000 lots from 2018/19.

The money will help finance a series of improvements — from street furniture to branding — in areas like Perth Road, Broughty Ferry, Albert Street, Lochee and elsewhere.

It’s part of efforts to help support retailers in main shopping streets away from the city centre.

Councillor Fraser Macpherson, who represents the West End and has campaigned for the Perth Road area to be given its own branding along with other improvements, welcomed moves by the council’s SNP administration to bring in the cash.

The city’s Lib Dem leader told the Tele: “We discussed the issue with both Labour and the SNP after the elections.

“We said there needed to be some infrastructure and capital funding to encourage growth in district shopping centres.

“Fellow Lib Dem Craig Duncan and I both have shopping centres in our wards but we weren’t talking about ours in particular — there are many others across the city.

“It’s absolutely a step in the right direction.”

Mr Macpherson added that while it was too early to say exactly how the money would be spent, there were several possibilities being considered.

“There are various things the money could be spent on,” he said.

“We could be talking about things such as environmental improvements and seating areas.

“But we’re also going to look at things like trying to make areas attractive. It could be i nfrastructure improvements, it could be other things like online promotion or creating a brand for the area.

“In the West End we have representatives from all the parties and we all want what’s good for the city.

“This is an issue that there is crossparty support for. We all want to see our local shopping centres grow and expand in the coming years and this capital funding will assist this to happen.”

Ferry councillor Mr Duncan added: “Any new funding to assist Broughty Ferry and other shopping areas across Dundee is very welcome and I am keen that there is consultation to ensure this is put to best use.”