Reform Street idea set out by council

RADICAL plans have been d raw n up to rei mag i ne Reform Street and breathe new life into the city centre.

Dundee City Council hopes to create new seating and greenery at the southern end of the street where it meets City Square in an effort to brighten up the thoroughfare.

The eye-catching seating arrangement proposed is designed to make Reform Street feel less like a road and more like a space in which to “dwell” in the city.

Local authority chiefs are also plotting to redecorate City Square, creating “attractive” new stairways to Castle Street and Crichton Street and swapping the square’s small benches for larger, more sociable seats.

The Caird Hall’s outdoor adverts are also due an upgrade in the form of digital signs promoting upcoming concerts and performances.

Each of the upgrades is being made possible through a £725,000 grant from the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Fund.

Alan Ross, city development convener, said: “With an increase in visitors and the continued evolving role of city centres, it is important that the streetscape keeps pace with these developments.

“More active travel options, the Low Emission Zone just around the corner and the stronger links between the Waterfront and the city centre mean it is critical that the experience people have when they are here getting from A to B adds to their overall positive perception of the city.”

But the council is also set to draw up a longer-term improvement plan to ensure the city centre continues to thrive.

Planning chief Gregor Hamilton has acknowledged that development in the city centre has fallen behind that happening at the Waterfront – a shortfall he is keen to rectify.

In a report to be reviewed by councillors next week, he said: “As the Central Waterfront moves through the next phase of development there is a need to ensure that the entire city centre stays strong and builds on the positive development that has been undertaken (at the Waterfront).”

The improvement plan will, officers hope, bolster Dundee’s high streets as people shop less in town.

However, the council is also contending with a £3.5 million overspend in city development – the policy area covering council buildings, roads, transport and job creation.

It proposes clawing back some of the cash by fast-tracking demolition of older buildings and cutting links with expensive external contractors.

How the new seating and plants might look, and, inset, as it is today.