City’s cloak of invisibility lifts

Dundee is emerging from under its cloak of invisibility. For decades it was Scotland’s forgotten son, the poor relation to Glasgow’s charm, Edinburgh’s class and Aberdeen’s cash. But no longer. The post-industrial malaise that hung over Dundee like a permanent grey cloud is gone and what has emerged is a city rejuvenated, a city unrecognisable even to some of its own.

The waterfront redevelopment is the central arc in this extraordinary transformation.

Where once stood the beigest of beige layover hotels, the V&A Dundee design museum now stands proud.

Where once there was a massive roundabout and cripplingly ugly high-rise office block there is now open green space.

And where once there was a stagnating dock, there is the fresh breath of domestic and commercial life.

In the 800-plus year history of Dundee, the change we are living through now probably only ranks second to the jute-inspired industrial revolution of the mid-18th and early 19th Centuries.

Not every decision made in Dundee’s modern renaissance has been right.

And there is a long road still to travel if the ultimate economic, cultural and social vision for this city – and the wider region that extends along the Tay corridor – is to be realised.

In this March edition of Business Matters, Rob McLaren talks to Dundee City Council leader John Alexander about how the waterfront development is progressing and the efforts being made to attract the right companies to fill out the numerous commercial and office spaces within the central zone.

Regular contributor Ian Forsyth has also had a chat with Tay Cities chief David Littlejohn about his belief that a government-backed investment deal for the region will be secured and how it can be used to turbocharge the local economy.

In addition, Business Matters brings you up to speed with the latest news and views from the commercial life of Courier Country.

Thechange we are living through now probably only ranks second to the juteinspired industrial revolution of the mid18th and early 19th Centuries

Dundee’s modern renaissance is probably second only to the jute-inspired industrial revolution of the late 18th Century in its long-term signficance for the city.