Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Site work set to start
Dundee councillors approved a tender submitted by Wilmott Dixon Construction Ltd this month for the £15.5 million scheme on Site 6.
The development, i mmediately north of the V&A, has been met with criticism amid claims that views down to the Waterfront will be spoiled by the six-storey building.
Roadwork plans have revealed that work will begin on January 8, starting with the closure of the adjacent Earl Grey Place West.
The small street will be shut for 55 weeks while development works are carried out.
In addition, South Union Street will be closed southbound for two weeks from January 8 to allow set-up works at Site 6.
A significant amount of disruption is expected as a result of the latter closure, as the road connects traffic from for the plan to be scrapped. The petition, started by Charlie Stewart, claims the development will “block the view of the river, overshadow the new V&A, block in the new Slessor Gardens and ruin the whole feel of the redevelopment of the Waterfront”.
However, initial plans for the site were voted through in June.
Mike Galloway, Dundee City Council’s executive director of city development, previously said the site would encourage business.
He said: “What we are proposing to do is address the market failure in the centre of Dundee where we have no suitable office space available for companies looking to move to the city.
“That, we believe, holds back the city’s economy.”
Mr Galloway said that the completed site could encourage a jobs drive.
He said: “The building could be occupied by about 800 people — that is the number of jobs this development could support.”
work on a controversial waterfront office block is set to start early in the new year.