GARDEN OF EDEN... IN DUNDEE
Famous biodomes may come to city in ‘jute, jam and jungle’ plan
IT is one of the most UK’s popular tourism attractions, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
Now the creators of the Eden Project are planning an offshoot – and are looking at a site north of the Border.
The original Eden Project in Cornwall, with its geodesic domes, one of which houses a mini-rainforest, has welcomed more than 22million visitors and generated more than £2billion for the local economy since it opened in 2001.
Similar projects have taken root all over the UK as well as in China, Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica. Now the Eden Project is considering creating Eden Project Scotland in Dundee, already home to the popular V&A design museum.
David Harland, chief executive of Eden Project International, said: ‘We are really excited to be working in Dundee. It is a vibrant city with big ambitions and we hope to be able to create something that encapsulates its unique appeal.
‘The opening of the city’s V&A in 2018 was a bold statement of intent and we want to be part of the next wave, helping Dundee to be a truly world-class destination.’
He added: ‘The city was traditionally known for “jute, jam and journalism”, to which we hope to add joy, jubilation and, if not an actual jungle, at least the spirit that enabled us to build one under cover in an abandoned quarry in Cornwall.’
Eden is working with Dundee City Council and the University of Dundee, with a feasibility study being supported by local businesses and institutions.
The survey, which is due to start next month, will pinpoint a suitable site for the project, develop content ideas and explore the potential for creating jobs and boosting the local economy.
Dundee City Council John Alexander leader said: ‘The ambition and determination embodied in projects like Eden will be critical to creating jobs and prosperity as we as a city recover and rebuild.’
Philip Long, director of V&A Dundee, said: ‘An Eden Project would be an extraordinary opportunity, not just for the audiences it would attract but also in the way it could support ever greater understanding of the natural world.’